Forget Me Not
by starlightened
Summary: Final chapter of the Kingdom Hearts trilogy; Vilixa's memories begin to resurface, and her desire to recover her heart becomes even more urgent as she tries to free Riku from the darkness and put an end to Organization XIII once and for all.
1. The Fourth Day

**Welp, I made a promise to post chapter 1 once IFH reached 100 reviews, and it made it up to 102! You must have really wanted me to post this story, eh? Well, here it is. I hope you like it.**

**Thank you to my reviewers once again for the last installment of In Fate's Hands: SpringBorn, NinjaSheik, XRarityoftearsX, SheDreamsFiction, DarkFlame Alchemist, phantombullets240, Kanika Meskhenet, animechick247, pandabearmusic, AoZ and Crystal Hikari (thus far).**

**For those of you who are disappointed in the lack of fluff between Riku and Livia/Vilixa, I compleeeetely know how you feel. I wanted to add more interaction between them, but it didn't really seem to fit the story. And now that Riku has gone all "Ansem" on everyone, I think it'd be a bit strange to have that sort of interaction between him and his lady love. But don't worry, there will be moments that give you warm fuzzies soon enough. Don't forget that while this is a romance story, it is also an action/adventure. And since this revolves around Kingdom Hearts, one kind of takes precedence over the other, unfortunately.**

**But don't worry...I know how you guys feel. I enjoy Riku X OC fluff just as much as any other girl out there. And I hear your pleas.**

**Anyway, read, review and enjoy! Especially the review part. Wink wink, nudge nudge. More reviews = faster updates, ya know.**

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The sun's golden rays spilled through the window of the library and onto the large oak table where a girl wearing a long, black cloak with a mop of fiery red hair that grew past her shoulders sat, her nose intently buried in the book she had been reading. It had only been a few days since Roxas had been captured and placed in the virtual Twilight Town by DiZ, but the way the summer days dragged on made each minute feel like an eternity.

"Day four," Vilixa mumbled to herself as she casually flipped the page to the book that she was reading on the theories of Light and Darkness. She'd found that most of the books in the library had been based on these studies, most likely because of DiZ and how he was a vapid researcher who was always seeking more knowledge on the subject.

She closed the cover of the book gently and placed it back on the shelf in the empty slot in which it belonged. She then did what she usually did--opened the secret door to the underground facilities and went to the master control room to watch over Roxas to ensure that he was alright.

"I wonder what he's doing today," she mumbled to herself. The mansion was quiet that day--it seemed that Naminé was busy at work upstairs in the White Room piecing Sora's memories back together, and she had no idea where Riku and DiZ were.

She pulled up the chair and sat, watching interestedly at the scene unfolding before her. There was a Struggle tournament going on, and Roxas had entered and was about to face his best friend, Hayner.

Vilixa smiled as Roxas defeated him easily, moving onto his next opponent. Seifer, she believed his name was, who was an older teen with a rough attitude and a look that could kill. His pride was at stake, and Vilixa was one hundred percent sure that it was about to be taken away.

"Get 'im, Roxas," she cheered silently from her seat by the computer. "You can do it!"

Of course, Roxas beat him and moved on to the semi-final round. His opponent was Vivi, a small, evasive creature that wore a crooked, pointed yellow hat and a blue buckled jacket. Had he not been so vicious in the Struggle ring, Vilixa would've most likely mistaken him for being cute.

Before Roxas delivered the final blow, something strange happened.

The entire town, save for Roxas and Vivi, froze.

"Huh?" Vilixa muttered, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "What's going on?"

She observed Vivi closely and noticed that he wasn't frozen in place. There was a crackle on the screen, and Vivi turned into three Dusks that began to circle Roxas, ready to attack.

"Oh, no..." she mumbled, eyes wide. "How did they get into the program?"

She flew up from the chair and ran over to the other corner of the room, which is where DiZ would place himself if he wanted to transport a virtual copy of himself into the second Twilight Town.

"I hope this works," she gulped as she stood on the glowing platform and pushed the red button. In the blink of an eye, Vilixa was transported directly into the Struggle crowd. Roxas' Struggle club had transformed itself into the Keyblade and she ducked down so that he couldn't see her behind the suspended figures of his friends.

She was waving her hand in front of a brunette girl's face, Olette, to see if she responded, but she had no luck. She was about to move onto Roxas' next friend, the stout Pence, but stopped when she heard clapping coming from within the ring.

She turned to see a tall, lanky figure in a long, black cloak identical to hers standing there, applauding Roxas.

"Roxas. All right. Fight fight fight," he taunted.

"Axel?" Vilixa hissed under her breath. "How'd he get here?"

He continued. "You really don't remember. It's me! You know," he removed his hood, revealing his bright red spikes. "Axel."

"Axel?" Roxas repeated.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Talk about blank with a capital 'B'. Even the Dusks aren't gonna be able to crack this one." He raised his arms slightly and fire shot out of his hands, revealing two chakrams that he held in his fingers.

"Don't hurt him!" Vilixa shouted out, but then instantly covered her mouth.

Both Axel and Roxas looked over at her, Axel with an intent interest, and Roxas with extreme confusion.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, holding his Keyblade tightly. "Who are _you_?" he asked, directing his question to the girl.

Vilixa ignored him. "Axel, I know that they sent you here to take Roxas back, but you can't do that! Not when we're so close!"

"Orders are orders," Axel muttered lazily. "Nice to be seeing you, too."

"Leave him alone, Axel," Vilixa warned. "I don't want to have to hurt you."

Axel scoffed. "As if you would." He looked around the Sandlot, turned back to Roxas and grinned, "This town is his creation, right? Which means we don't have time for a Q & A. You're coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story."

A ripple ran through the air that chilled Vilixa to the bone. "Uh oh," she mumbled.

Roxas growled and threw his Keyblade down onto the ground. "What's going on?" he demanded.

Axel smirked as the Keyblade materialized once again back in Roxas' hand. "Number 13. Roxas. The Keyblade's chosen one."

Roxas stared down at his Keyblade for a moment, then said, "Okay, fine! You asked for it!"

The two engaged in battle, and all Vilixa could do was watch from the sidelines. "DiZ!" she called out to the sky, hoping that he was near the master computer. "DiZ, where are you? We have a bit of a situation!"

Roxas and Axel backed off each other, both panting from the fight. There was an electronic sound and a build-up of digital rings and DiZ stood before them all, his hands placed behind his back with his yellow eyes staring into Axel's emerald ones.

"So it was you," Axel sneered, lancing his two fiery chakrams at DiZ's hologram. They deflected off an invisible forcefield and he turned to Roxas.

"Roxas, this man speaks nonsense!"

"Roxas, don't let him deceive you!" Axel shouted back.

"Roxas!"

"Roxas!"

Vilixa looked over at Roxas to see that his head was clutched in his hands. "Pence! Hayner! Olette!" he cried out.

And then everything stopped.

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**How'd you like it so far? Don't forget to review!**

**PS. No, there will not be any other stories featuring my OC Livia/Vilixa after this. I intend on ending it once this series is done.**


	2. Drawings

**Hey! Here's chapter 2. Sorry I'm so late with this update, I didn't mean to take so long, but this semester is ending next week and I've had a lot of school work to do...but alas, I found the time between seeing musicals downtown and seeing Tegan and Sara live to post this. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Thank you list! Love goes out to phantombullets240, AoZ, NinjaSheik, Island-style-girl, DarkFlame Alchemist, Final Crystal Hikari, pandabearmusic and BraidedTissues for reviewing chapter one.**

**Keep the reviews coming! I have a feeling that this story will go on longer than 22 chapters like my last two had...so maybe we can beat 100 again? Who knows.**

**But anyway, _review and enjoy!_ :D**

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"Did you interfere in any way?" DiZ demanded when they were back in the mansion. Axel had disappeared, and DiZ and Vilixa had pulled themselves out of the virtual world. They ensured that Roxas was safe before leaving the control room.

"No," she said honestly. "I was watching him in the Struggle tournament, and one minute everything's fine, and the next, Axel's there and he's trying to take him back to the Organization."

"Why would he do that?" Naminé asked. "Why now?"

Vilixa shrugged her shoulders. "Axel said that he was following orders. Xemnas must want his Keyblade wielder back so that he can continue building Kingdom Hearts...and I guess he doesn't want Sora to wake up either."

"The restoration is at 79%," DiZ sighed. "There is only a fraction of Sora's memory that needs to be restored. I need you to ensure that he stays in that town and that he doesn't stray any more than he already has."

"I can do that," Vilixa nodded. "You can count on me."

"Keep him safe," Naminé smiled. "We're so close, Vilixa. Just a few days more."

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It was the fifth day of Roxas' existence in the alternate Twilight Town. Vilixa sat by the computer, bored, watching over him. He and the other three had engaged in a sort of scavenger hunt to search for the different "wonders" that were scattered all over the town.

"I remember hearing about those from Pence," Vilixa muttered to herself. "I was on a mission in the real Twilight Town...funny how these things repeat themselves here."

Her ears perked up as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, but relaxed when she saw the familiar tall, cloaked figure approaching her.

"Hello, Riku," she said.

"How is he?" he asked.

She shrugged. "He seems to be alright, he's just exploring Sunset Terrace I think." She turned to look up at him, though she couldn't see his face underneath the hood. "Where've you been these past few days?"

He looked away and crossed his arms over his chest. "I had to help the king with some things," he answered. "You know how it is."

Looking back at the monitors, she replied, "Well, in reality, I don't...but out of respect to King Mickey and your privacy, I do."

"Hmm," he commented, a slight tone of amusement in his voice.

"Huh?" Vilixa's eyes scanned over the virtual copy of the mansion. "Listen. Naminé's talking to him."

"_Naminé?_" Roxas called, looking at one of the scribbled drawings on the wall. There were four figures, two in black cloaks that were off in the distance, and two that were closer up, one with blond hair and one with red spikes. "_This is...me? And Axel's here too._"

"_You two _are_ best friends_," Naminé replied.

"_Very funny._"

Naminé paused, then collected her words and said, "_Don't you want to know the truth about who you really are?_"

Roxas thought to himself and said, "_No one knows me better than me._"

"_You know these three, don't you?_"Naminé asked, directing him to a sketch that was on the other side of the room. It was a drawing of a boy with brown, spiky hair, a giant dog and a giant duck.

"_Yeah_," Roxas responded. "_Sora, Donald and Goofy. They're from the dreams_."

"_About a year ago, some things happened_," Naminé explained. "_And I had to take apart the memories chained together in Sora's heart. But now...I'm putting them all back exactly the way they were. It's taken me a long time, but pretty soon Sora will be his old self again. The process has been affecting you too, Roxas_."

"_You mean...the dreams?_" Roxas asked.

Naminé answered, "_Yes. You and Sora are connected. And in order for Sora to become completely whole again...he needs you_."

"_Me?_" he asked, shocked. "_What for?_"

"_You hold half of what he is_," she responded. "_He needs you, Roxas_."

"I hope she knows what she's doing," Vilixa mumbled, biting her lip nervously. "If she tells him what I think she's about to, it'll crush him."

"He doesn't have a heart, Vilixa," Riku said, sounding a bit sad. "I don't think it'll affect him that much."

"_You were never supposed to exist, Roxas_," Naminé stated.

Roxas looked over at her with sadness evident in his eyes. "_What?_" he barely whispered. "_How could you even say such a thing...even if it were true?_"

"_I'm sorry_," Naminé lamented. "_I guess some things really are better left unsaid_."

"I can't watch anymore," Vilixa sighed. "Even if he doesn't have a heart, it doesn't mean we can toy with him like this." Riku stood silently and turned to leave. "Where are you going?"

"I have to talk to DiZ," he stated. "Don't worry." He walked up the stairs and disappeared. Something about it was unsettling though, and she followed him up to the main floor and crept down the stairs to Ansem's study. It was a large, almost empty room with a broken table left in the center of the floor and a few chairs to sit in that faced each other.

The door was cracked open, and Vilixa could hear voices coming from inside.

"Now, for the finishing touches," DiZ announced. "First, we must dispose of Naminé. She did a splendid job with Sora, but it's high time she disappeared. Roxas isn't the only one who wasn't meant to exist."

Vilixa gasped. "They can't do that to her..." she whispered to herself. "Has he gone mad?"

"Ansem, take care of it," DiZ ordered.

Vilixa bit her lip again and frowned sadly at how DiZ had addressed Riku. "He's not Ansem," she mumbled incoherently. "He's still Riku. He's still the same."

She saw Riku get up to leave and she immediately bolted, practically flying back up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her. Hundreds of thoughts were whizzing around in her mind. How could they just get rid of Naminé? Dispose of her as if she was nothing more than a useless object? And if that was how they thought of the one who had done so much to revive Sora and all of his memories, what would become of herself?

After all, she too was never meant to exist.

The sun started to set along the horizon and soaked the world in a deep golden bath. Vilixa watched as the clouds gave way to let the stars sparkle in the sky, the full moon hanging low and casting its silver shadow across all of Twilight Town.

In the library, the abandoned computer in the master control room started to buzz as a voice droned, "Restoration at 97%."

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**I'm trying to make updates longer so you guys will have more to read. How am I doing so far? :) Review please!**

**PS. I'm so glad that you guys like the story so far. Huuuge weight off my shoulders!**


	3. The Awakening

**You guys are all awesome. How great are you at reviewing? Really makes me happy.**

**For those of you who are wondering whether or not I'll go through the entire game, I won't give everything away, but I will tell you that I will veer away from the plot a little bit. I won't go world-by-world like they do in the game, because no one really wants to read out every cutscene from KH2, and so I'm going to spice it up a bit by adding my own plot. Hope you don't mind :3**

**Anyway! My thank you's: phantombullets240, ZackFair1076542, AoZ, pandabearmusic, NinjaSheik, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, and Zamaya.**

**Keep the reviews coming! I've got up to chapter 11 done so far. I'm on a roll, gotta say. ;D**

**Read, enjoy and review. You're all amazing.**

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It was the sixth day. The restoration was nearly complete--Vilixa awoke that morning with both a sense of excitement and sadness bubbling up within her being. She got out of bed and pulled her black cloak over a matching shirt and pants, slipping on her shoes and rushing to the library. She ran down the stairs to find DiZ sitting by the computer screens, hastily typing away.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"It's time for him to return to Sora," he answered blankly. "Ensure that everything is prepared. Sora cannot know of us being here."

Vilixa scratched the back of her head and sighed. "Can I go in and say goodbye to him first?"

A frown tugged at the corner of DiZ's lips. "Fine," he caved. "But be quick. We haven't all day."

With her hood covering her face, Vilixa stepped onto the platform and felt her body being copied into the digital town. She looked around for Roxas, and saw that she was in the Sandlot. DiZ had indeed frozen time--Seifer and his gang of nitwits were standing in a triangle formation, none of them breathing or blinking.

She scurried past them into the Tram Common, where she saw Roxas running along the tram's tracks towards the forest.

"Roxas!" she called, waving to him.

He turned and drew his Keyblade, prepared to attack. "Who are you? What do you people want from me?" he growled.

"Easy," she said calmly, removing her hood from her head. "Do you remember me, Roxas?"

"Vilixa?" he asked, blinking rapidly. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, at least you remember who I am," she chuckled. "I wanted to say goodbye."

One of Roxas' eyebrows flew up and he scratched the back of his head. "Why would you want to say goodbye? You just got here."

"It's a long story, Roxas," Vilixa answered truthfully. "I guess what I meant to say was...not goodbye, but..." she smiled at the boy. "See you later." Vilixa felt her virtual body start to dissipate as Roxas was calling out her name. His voice seemed to shrink farther and farther into the distance until it was nothing more than a blip on DiZ's computer screen.

"Have you started remembering?" DiZ asked her once she'd returned.

"Bits and pieces," she nodded. "Things are becoming clearer."

"Hmm," DiZ thought to himself. "As I had expected. Naminé's work has resurfaced the lost memories in those closest to Sora. Maybe soon you'll regain your entire memory."

Vilixa shook her head. "With all due respect, DiZ, I don't think I'll be able to regain all of my memories until I get my heart back." She turned swiftly and prepared the pod for Sora's awakening. She was ensuring that all the cables were hooked up properly and that everything was properly engaged when she heard footsteps behind her.

Turning, she saw Riku approaching. "I heard your conversation with DiZ," he said.

She nodded and continued prepping the pod. "And?"

"You remember things?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She sighed, answering, "It really isn't much. Just a few things here and there...mostly about the ocean and the islands..."

Riku nodded slowly and folded his arms over his chest. "Do your memories come to you often?"

She shook her head. "Not a lot. Mostly just in dreams..." She looked up at the face of Xehanort, seeing past his exterior and into Riku's own eyes. "Why does DiZ call you Ansem?"

"I have his face," he replied shortly.

"You have his face," Vilixa agreed, "but not his heart."

Riku let out a small sigh and buried his head further into his hood. "Prepare the pod for Sora's awakening. DiZ and I have to leave the mansion immediately. Sora can't know that we were ever here."

Vilixa bit her lip and asked, "And what about Naminé? Are you really going to destroy her?"

He paused, but shifted slightly. "I'm trying to find another way to deal with this. Just...help Sora, all right? I'll deal with the rest. You have to go with him or you may never find your heart."

"What about you?" she questioned. "You and DiZ...where will you be?"

"I don't know yet," he answered honestly. "We'll just have to see how things play out." He turned and left the room, the sound of his footsteps echoing behind him. "Goodbye...Livia."

Vilixa's hand subconsciously reached up to where her heart would have been, but stopped itself midway. "Goodbye, Riku."

Turning back to the control panel, she pushed one of the buttons and heard something opening from out in the hallway. The two pods containing Donald and Goofy had been opened--she could hear that duck's quacking from where his pod was at the end of the hall. Turning back to Sora's, she pushed another button and the shells started to open, spreading apart like the wings on an angel's back.

Sora's sleeping face greeted her, his clothes outgrown, hanging in suspended animation.

"Wake up, sleepy-head," she said in a quiet, sing-song voice. "Come on. Wake up, Sora."

Slowly, the boy's eyes fluttered open and the first thing he did was let out a huge yawn. Vilixa giggled a bit as he stretched out his arms and tried to regain the feeling back into his muscles. Being asleep for a year apparently had its downsides.

His eyes finally settled on the girl that stood before him. "H-Huh?" he gasped. "Livia? You're alive?"

She bit her lip and smiled up at him. "Not quite. But it's really good to see you."

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**Review please! Chapter 1 got 8 reviews and chapter 2 got 7. Can we beat that?**


	4. Master Yen Sid

**So many reviews so quickly!! You guys are fabulous. My list of thank you's is huge. Let's get it started: SexyZexy (Your username made me laugh out loud, I love it), AoZ, phantombullets240, NinjaSheik, Witchgirl590, Zamaya, peygoodwin, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Hakura Natsumi, and pandabearmusic. You guys are my looooves.**

**Anyway! Belated update. I meant to post this last night after that barrage of reviews came in, but I had to prepare for an art seminar...alas, here it is now. I hope you enjoy it :)**

**If you guys have _any questions_ concerning the plot at all that I haven't answered yet that also won't need me to give away any spoilers for the rest of the story, then feel free to ask.**

**Enjoy and review! There were ten reviews for chapter 3. Can it be topped? ;)**

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"Wait--what do you mean?" Sora asked once Vilixa revealed her secret. "What's a 'Nobody'?"

"A Nobody is created when someone loses their heart," Vilixa explained. "When someone loses themselves to the Heartless, an empty shell is left behind. A creature without a heart. A Nobody. Nobodies need hearts to be whole again. And that's what I am...the empty shell of who you used to call Livia."

"You don't have a heart?" he asked, baffled.

She shook her head. "I'm still trying to look for it. I was hoping you'd be able to help me..."

"Of course!" Sora replied, patting her on the back jovially. "We're friends after all, right? And besides, you're still Livia. Just Livia...minus a heart. You may look a little different, but I'm sure you're still the same kind of person on the inside."

"I looked different as a Whole?" Vilixa asked, examining herself. "I don't understand..."

"Well, before, your hair was more brown and not really all that red," he said, a hand on his chin. "But your eyes are still the same. That's the most important part."

"Ahem!" a voice quacked from the entrance of the room. "Good morning, Sora!"

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora laughed, running to hug his comrades. They all laughed together and Vilixa watched in wonder.

She smiled slightly. "So...that's what true friendship looks like. I wonder...how it feels..."

"Hey, it's Livia!" she heard Goofy call. "How ya doin', huh?"

She let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry, but I'm not Livia anymore. I released my heart, and now I'm a Nobody. Call me Vilixa."

"Vilixa..." Sora repeated. "Okay. Excuse me if I call you by your old name. It doesn't bother you, does it?"

Vilixa shook her head. "Being called our old names bothered some of the others I knew, but--"

"There are others?" Sora asked, eyes wide with excitement and inquiry. "Whoa!"

"Um," Vilixa stammered, unaware of how to react to Sora's flurry of bizarre emotions. "I know someone who will be able to explain everything. But we have to leave right away."

"Okay," Sora nodded. "Let's get out of here then!"

Leading the way, Sora bounded out of the room, Donald and Goofy following close behind. Vilixa stood back for a minute, watching the mannerisms of the brunette and chuckling to herself. He really did remind her of Roxas. Sighing sadly, she raced to follow them out of the Old Mansion and headed towards the train station.

"You know," she heard Sora say, "I feel like I've been here before."

"I have to go see him," Vilixa mumbled to herself. "They'll catch up. I have questions that need answers."

* * * * *

There was a quiet knock at the door of the White Room. Naminé looked up from her sketchpad to see Riku opening and silently closing the door behind him has he entered. She forced a sad smile and let out a sigh.

"Have you come to dispose of me?" she asked.

Riku tensed, but shook his head. "You know I can't do that."

Naminé eyed him curiously. "It's what DiZ wants, isn't it?" she asked. "He doesn't want me to be around anymore. I'm not meant to exist."

"That may be," Riku stated, "but you're still part of Kairi. And Kairi is one of my best friends. I can't destroy you, Naminé. That would go against everything I've ever fought for. And you helped Sora wake up...my heart's decided. I can't go through with it."

"Then..." she questioned, "what happens now?"

Riku held out his hand. "Come," he said. "I have a plan."

* * * * *

Vilixa stared up at the massive tower that stood before her, the very tip of it almost reaching the clouds that hung in the sky. She made her way up the tower's stairs, past three floors, until she reached her destination.

She pushed the door open and looked around to see an old man with a long, gray beard and a pointed blue had, adorned with stars and a crescent moon, looking at her intently from her place by the threshold. He sat behind a large, wooden desk with a massive book opened to a specific page, just waiting to be read.

"You must be Vilixa," his voice boomed. "The Nobody that King Mickey spoke of."

"Yes," she answered meekly. "And you must be Master Yen Sid." She knelt before him, her head bowed.

"Rise, child," he said with a small chuckle. "No need for such formalities. Please, have a seat." He waved his hand casually and a chair from the other side of the room hobbled along on its wooden legs over to where Vilixa stood, nudging her slightly from behind until she sat down. "I understand that you have questions that need answering."

"Yes," she replied honestly. "You're aware now that the Keybearer has awoken."

"I am," he responded.

"Well," she continued. "I know that there is still a battle to be won and a long journey ahead...what are the chances of me...actually finding my heart?"

Master Yen Sid stroked his beard in deep thought. "The question is," he pondered aloud, "Do you wish to seek out your heart, or restore it?"

Confused, she asked, "What do you mean?"

The old magician just smiled curiously and answered, "Dear girl, everything that you seek is always closer than you might imagine."

Vilixa bit her lip anxiously and fiddled with her fingers. "I don't see how that can be possible in regards to my heart...I'm just a Nobody. I'm not meant to exist in the first place."

"But you do," Master Yen Sid said. "And _that _is destiny."

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	5. A New Journey

**Hello everyone! It's exam time in school, in case you're wondering why updates have been slow. I have one more exam next Monday and then I'm done for this semester. But in the meantime, I figured I wouldn't let you guys wait anymore, so here's chapter five. I'm up to chapter 13 as we speak! I have everything planned out in my head. Just a matter of putting it on paper. Or, rather, in my computer.**

**Thank you to Xynlake the fourteenth member, pandabearmusic, NinjaSheik, Witchgirl590, AoZ, Haruka Natsumi, Zamaya, phantombullets240, and Island-style-girl for reviewing. It really means a lot to me. _Don't forget, if you have any questions regarding the story, or if things are unclear, feel free to message me._**** I will, however, only answer questions that have to do with the past, as in Dearly Beloved or In Fate's Hands. I will not give out spoilers for this story, so don't expect any, please and thanks.**

**I think I'm done talking. _Don't forget to review!_ The last chapter had nine. Can we beat that?**

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Just then, the door burst open and Sora, Donald and Goofy stumbled through. Donald immediately bowed before Master Yen Sid, as did Goofy, but Sora just waved.

"Hiya," he greeted. Donald yanked him down by the collar and let out an ear-shattering squack.

"Sora, show some respect!" he demanded. Sora just scratched at the back of his head while the old magician let out a laugh.

Master Yen Sid pardoned Sora with a wave of his hand. "So, you are Sora," he said, examining the boy carefully. "So, have you seen the King yet?"

"Yes we did, Master, but we didn't get the chance to talk to him," Goofy answered.

"Yes, he has been quite busy of late," he thought. " Therefore, it seems that the task of instructing you all falls upon by shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you. You must be well prepared."

"I was looking forward to finding by friend Riku, so we could go back to the islands," Sora explained, looking slightly glum at the sound of another long adventure.

"Yes, I know," Yen Sid stated sympathetically. "However, everything in your journey, Sora, is connected. Whether you will find your way home to the islands...whether you will return alone or with your friend, and whether or not the islands will still be there."

"You're the key that connects them all, Sora," Vilixa chimed in. Yen Sid nodded in agreement.

"I'm...the key?" Sora asked, clearly lost.

In a flash of light, Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hands. "The Chosen Keybearer," Yen Sid said in a very serious tone. "You are the key that will open the door to light." The waved his hand towards the book before him and said, "You must read these pages in order to understand the trials that await you. Once you have finished, we will discuss the enemies you are sure to encounter."

Vilixa moved out of the way so that Sora, Donald and Goofy could read the book. As they were reading, Vilixa asked Yen Sid, "What about me? Sora is the key that will erase the Heartless from this world, but what purpose could I possibly have? I wield a Keyblade, but only one that can restore memories."

"Your destiny will guide you towards the right path," Yen Sid replied. "You will learn in due time."

"Wait a sec," Sora asked, lifting his eyes away from the huge book in front of him. "How come there are still Heartless running around?"

"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real," Yen Sid answered, "and darkness yet lingers in every heart. The Heartless are fewer, but while darkness exists in a single heart, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

Goofy had a sudden burst of realization while Sora and Donald let out groans of exasperation and contempt. "Well, sounds to me life if everybody's heart was full of light, them Heartless'd go away!"

Yen Sid gave a small nod, but Vilixa could tell that he wasn't truly convinced that Goofy's theory was even physically possible. How could darkness be eliminated and replaced by light in every heart imaginable?

"It is time to speak of the enemies that you will encounter," he stated. He waved his hand and a small Shadow Heartless appeared. Vilixa saw Sora tense, but it was only a hologram, meaning that it was harmless. Yen Sid said some brief words about the Heartless and then said to the three, "But you know this already."

They all nodded.

With another wave of his hand, a Dusk appeared. "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will, be they good or evil, becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own."

Vilixa bit her lip nervously and stared at the ground. She didn't catch Sora's sideways glance at her, but she knew that he was watching.

Yen Sid continued. "An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away...a spirit that goes on, even as its body fades from existence. For you see, Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse. They only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived!"

Vilixa clenched her fist slightly, wanting to be anywhere but that room. She didn't want Sora to think badly of her, nor Donald or Goofy. She just wanted to run as far and fast as she could, but her legs stayed glued to the ground. Almost all of Sora's focus was on her.

"The form you see before you is a Dusk," the old man continued. "They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others, some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Still, they are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to darkness."

Another flash of light and the image of three tall, cloaked figures stood before them. Sora, Donald and Goofy all jumped back slightly, alarmed by what they saw.

"The beings you see before you now are different," Yen Sid said, looking over at Vilixa. Sora's eyes widened as he realized, for the first time, that her cloak was identical to theirs. "These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII. It commands the lesser Nobodies."

"Organization XIII..." Sora thought aloud, looking over at Vilixa with curious eyes.

The rest of Yen Sid's words faded in and out of Vilixa's ears. The black cloak that she had so proudly worn before now felt like a heavy ball and chain, and she was afraid to look into Sora's eyes out of fear of judgment. She trudged over to the window and stared outside at the infinite sky, wondering why it was that she didn't have a heart.

"Hey," she heard Sora's voice call out to her. She turned to see him standing in front of her, looking curiously into her eyes. "You...were part of the Organization, weren't you?"

"I was," she answered. "But I left. I didn't belong there."

Sora nodded blankly for a second. "Well, now that you'll be traveling with us, then I guess you can help us figure out how to defeat them!" he said cheerfully. Vilixa's eyes widened in surprise.

"You still want me to come with you? Even though you know who I really am and the kind of being I am?"

"Of course," Sora answered. "We're friends, right?"

Vilixa smiled wide and answered, "I guess we are."

"Awesome," he grinned. "Now, come on. We need new clothes...these shorts are getting really uncomfortable."

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**I laughed out loud when I wrote that. It made me giggle. I hope it did the same for you.**

**Review please! Can you beat the 9+ mark?**


	6. Hollow Bastion

**It seems like an eternity ago when I last updated. Sorry guys! I've been really busy. Exams and such.**

**My thank you's today go out to AoZ, phantombullets240, Xynlake the fourteenth member, NinjaSheik, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Zamaya, pandabearmusic, and Haruka Natsumi.**

**This story has more reviews from chapters 1-5 than Dearly Beloved has had in its whole life span. You know how happy that makes me? It's crazy! _Keep up the reviews._**

**Chapter 5 got 8. That's good, but I think we can beat that. Enjoy and review!**

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"Look who it is, girls. It's Sora, Donald and Goofy," a small, plump woman in a pouffy red dress and matching cone-shaped had clucked as they all entered the room. Vilixa poked her head out from over Sora's shoulder and the woman sent a smile her way. "I'm afraid I don't know your name, dear."

"Vilixa," she said politely. "Nice to meet all of you."

Another woman, plump as well, with a similar outfit, only in blue, said, "So you need some new clothes, don't you?"

Sora let out a bit of a laugh. "I guess so."

"I'll do the designing!" the third, a slim, graying woman in a green dress, chimed in.

The fairy in red pointed her wand at Sora and his clothes changed to a completely all-red outfit.

"Oh, that will never do!" the blue fairy huffed, changing his outfit to match her own colour.

"But don't you think it'd look better if--" the green fairy insisted, changing the colour yet again.

This continued on for a good ten minutes before Sora and Vilixa impatiently cried, "Would you just decide?"

The three fairies gasped slightly at their sudden outbursts, but then agreed. "On three, girls. All together now--and no squabbling," the red fairy babbled. They raised their wands together and zapped Sora with their magic. This outfit, Vilixa had to admit, looked pretty cool. His red shorts turned into longer black ones with zippered pockets and dangling chains, and he wore a matching black vest with red detailing and black zippered sneakers.

"Oh, that_ is _lovely," one of the fairies gushed. Vilixa giggled.

"You look so stylish, Sora."

"Just a minute!" the red fairy hollered, turning her attention to Vilixa. "What about you, young lady?"

"Huh?" Vilixa asked, startled. "Me? What about me?"

The green fairy eyed her. "Won't you be needing some new clothes as well?"

Vilixa went wide-eyed. "Um...well, you see...I...I--"

"No stammering!" the blue fairy declared. "Come, now. That old cloak has holes all over it. It's time you had a change." And with that, the three fairies ignored Vilixa's desperate protests and zapped her with their wands, changing her familiar black cloak into a completely different outfit.

She had long, black pants with white and red detailing and zippered pockets much like Sora's, but less bulky, a red tank top that was covered by a comfortable black high-collared vest that zipped up to her collar bone, and a matching pair of black fingerless gloves.

She looked in awe at her own self. "Wow, Sora," she laughed. "We match."

He let out a chuckle as the fairies started explaining to him about his clothing having different powers. Vilixa took this time to slip out of the room and return to where Master Yen Sid was. He stood by the window, looking out into where the moon hung low in the sky.

She walked over and joined him. The moon was a rounded, perfect sphere that cast a silver glow over everything in its wake.

Letting out a small sigh, she quietly spoke, "I never knew the moon could look like this."

Master Yen Sid looked down at the mystified girl in wonder. "Why not?" he inquired. "You must have seen the moon numerous times before."

"Not like this," she stated, shaking her head. "I've never seen a moon that simply...exists. The only moon I've ever seen is...Kingdom Hearts. A moon that we had to create. It looks nothing like this one."

"Kingdom Hearts..." Master Yen Sid repeated. "Is this Organization XIII's purpose, then?"

"They're not all bad," Vilixa said defensively, thinking of only a few of the Organization's remaining members. "I know that we Nobodies don't have hearts and can't feel, but they aren't all evil. They're just confused."

After a moment or two of silence, Sora, Donald and Goofy came through the doors and Master Yen Sid looked over at them with a smile on his face.

"Your vessel awaits," he said, waving his hand towards the window.

Peeking outside, Sora's face lit up as the bright orange Gummi ship came into view. They all thanked the magician and ran back down the stairs to where the ship had landed. Sora, Donald and Goofy all piled in, Vilixa slowly following behind.

Everything felt familiar. The ship was much larger on the inside than it appeared to be on the outside—she made her way down a small hallway and immediately walked into one of the rooms. It was a simple white room with a bed, desk, and window where the stars danced across the infinite sky.

She sat down, cross-legged on the bed, and heaved a heavy sigh. Sora, Donald and Goofy were busy trying to shoot down Heartless ships from attacking their own, and all Vilixa could do was wait for the ride to be over. She must have dozed off, because soon Sora came to her room to wake her up.

"Come on," he said. "We're here."

"Where's 'here'?" she asked tentatively, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Hollow Bastion," he answered. Immediately, Vilixa's body tensed. It was involuntary--as if something inside of her was terrified of setting foot off the ship. "What's wrong?" Sora asked.

Once she finally found the words, she asked him, "Have I been here before? I mean, in my past life."

Sora frowned, but replied, "Yes. This is...the place where you lost your heart."

Vilixa's breath was caught in her throat. "I-I don't think I can go," she whimpered. "I don't know what's going on with me but...I can't Sora...I just can't..."

"Yes you can," Sora urged. "Come on. Be brave. I know you can do this. Trust me." He held out his hand for her to take, and to her surprise, after a little while, she took it and he helped her off the ship.

Vilixa, Sora, Donald and Goofy walked through the marketplace together, passing by all sorts of stores and booths. They spotted another large duck who looked just like Donald, except he was sporting a large black stove-pipe styled hat and a blue suit jacket. His glasses sat at the edge of his beak, and when he spotted Donald, he gave a quack.

"Donald!" he declared. "Is that you, boy?"

"Uncle Scrooge!" Donald clucked in reply. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to perfect an old childhood ice cream. But I can't seem to get the flavour right!" he wailed, taking a bite of the popsicle in his hand. "Just terrible!"

"We'll leave you to it," Sora laughed as the group headed towards the burrough.

As they were walking along the stone path, they heard a voice come from up above. "Hey you guys!" The four of them looked up to see a skinny girl with short black hair waving maniacally at them, as if trying to desperately get their attention.

Vilixa heard strange sounds coming from behind and whipped around to see Nobodies materializing out of nowhere. She tugged on Sora's sleeve and summoned her Keyblade.

"Look sharp, Sora," she said lowly. "We've got company."

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**Keep reviewing! Can we make it to 55-ish?**


	7. Encounter With Axel

**Sorry for updating so late! Didn't quite get to 55 like I'd hoped. Maybe we can aim for 60? So 8 reviews. That'd be nice. :)**

**I have my portfolio interview for university tomorrow, and so I've been busy. I honestly haven't written anything really new for this story in a while, but I'm taking a writer's craft class and so hopefully it'll help me to become a better writer.  
**

**Thank you to phantombullets240, AoZ, VanishatheHedgehog, NinjaSheik, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Zamaya, Island-style-girl and pandabearmusic for reviewing. **

**Let's keep the reviews coming! The more you review, the more I have to write and subsequently update. :)**

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"Phew," Sora huffed. "What are Nobodies doing in Hollow Bastion?"

"Let's go ask Leon and the others," Goofy suggested. "C'mon! Yuffie went this way!"

Donald and Goofy trotted off. Vilixa tapped Sora on the shoulder and asked, "Who's Yuffie?"

"You'll see," Sora grinned. "You'll get to meet everyone."

They walked a short distance around a high stone wall and many bricked staircases until Vilixa saw a small house with a rounded-top door that was left half-open. She and Sora walked over to the door and pushed it open fully, revealing a number of faces that Vilixa was certain she'd never seen before, and yet felt like she already knew.

"Meet the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee!" the girl from before, Yuffie, squeaked happily. She seemed to embody a sort of complete euphoria that Vilixa found both fascinating and frightening. She just stared at the girl, unsure of what to do.

An older looking girl with long, brown hair that was tied up in a braid with a pink bow with a matching pink sundress turned and clapped her hands together. "We missed you!"

"Well," a blond man with goggles attached to his head and a toothpick hanging loosely from his mouth called. "If you ain't in top shape!"

Another man with brown hair and a scar running diagonally down his face stood with his arms crossed over his chest. "I knew it," he said simply.

"Knew what?" Sora asked curiously.

"A while back, everyone suddenly remembered you guys, all at the same time," the man explained.

"Remembered?" Sora pondered aloud. "Wait! Does that mean you forgot about us?"

At this point, Vilixa was beyond confused and feeling slightly claustrophobic within the confines of the tiny house, surrounded by the piles of books and all of the people. She gulped and burst out of the house, running as fast and far as her feet could take her. She could hear Sora's voice shouting her name, but she ignored it, trying to get away.

Something about Hollow Bastion simply terrified her.

She kept running until she heard a sound that was all too familiar to her. The sound of a dark portal opening, revealing none other than Axel standing before her.

"Well, well, well..." he grinned. "Look at what I found."

"Axel..." she said quietly. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I'm just making sure Sora does his job and collects hearts for the Organization."

She frowned at him and tried to move around, but he blocked her path. "Axel, let me go."

"I still have an order from the boss, you know," he said sternly. "Do or die kind of thing."

"Let me go," she repeated. "It's not like he knows that I'm even here."

Axel chuckled, shaking his head. "But he will," he stated. "He's got his Nobodies keeping tabs on Sora. And now that you're traveling with him, you can bet that he's going to send even more of his little drones after you."

"Is that what you've become, Axel?" Vilixa hissed. "One of Xemnas' drones?"

"I'm just following orders so I can get my heart back," he growled. "Don't you dare call me a drone."

"I call 'em as I see 'em," she countered. "Now, let me go."

Axel looked past Vilixa and grinned. Swiftly, he grabbed hold of her arms and spun her around, locking them behind her back. Vilixa saw Sora, Donald and Goofy running towards her and she tried to scream out for help, but Axel covered her mouth with his gloved hand.

"Vilixa!" Sora cried. "It's the Organization!"

Axel teleported himself and Vilixa up higher onto the roof of one of the structures in the Bailey so that he was looking down on the Keybearer. Several other portals opened, revealing the remaining members of Organization XIII, just out of Sora's line of vision.

"The Keyblade...a truly marvelous weapon," Xemnas' deep voice echoed in Vilixa's ears. "Were it only in more...capable hands."

A chorus of laughter sprang out and Sora gritted his teeth. "Show yourselves!"

They all stepped forward, hoods covering their faces. Axel still had Vilixa in his tight grip, and she couldn't get away.

"Sora!" she tried to yell behind the fabric of Axel's gloved hand. "Sora, help!"

"Shut it," Axel hissed. "It'll be easier for you if you don't struggle."

"Let's settle this!" she heard Sora declare.

"What a shame," Xemnas taunted. "And here I was, thinking that we could be friends."

The mocking laughter continued as the members of the Organization faded into their own portals one by one. A portal opened beneath Axel's feet and eclipsed himself and Vilixa within its confines. The last thing that she saw before the darkness swallowed her was Sora, Donald and Goofy, desperately trying to reach her.

The portal opened and Axel nudged her forward. She found herself in his bedroom, the window overlooking Kingdom Hearts. She tore herself away from him and he let her turn to him furiously, her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "You're the one who let me go in the first place! I thought that we were friends!"

"I was also the one who told you that if I got another order from the Superior telling me that I had to go get you, I wasn't about to take it easy on you," he retorted. "And you know that we're still friends, Vee. But orders--"

"Friendship is supposed to mean more than stupid orders!" she seethed. "Why don't you understand that? Is it because you don't have a heart?"

"Don't try and pull that on me," Axel growled viciously. "You don't have a heart either. Quit talking like you have one. I'm sick of it."

She shook her head. "I'd rather speak my mind instead of wallowing constantly in the darkness." She walked over to the window and placed her palm against the glass. "Why am I here?"

"Xemnas wanted you back," he said flatly. "I don't know why." Curiously, Axel eyed Vilixa from top to bottom. "You look different without your Organization cloak."

"Stop looking at me," she muttered scathingly, pulling out the chair from its place by the desk and sitting down, away from Axel. "If we really were friends, you'd have let me go."

She heard Axel sigh and open a portal. Before he walked through, he cocked his head over his shoulder and muttered, "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." And with that, he disappeared.

Vilixa huffed and said, "I'm getting out of here. I don't care how." She waved her hand and tried to open a portal, but for some reason, it wouldn't work. No matter how hard she tried, the miniscule swirl of darkness that she produced wouldn't stay open long enough for her to escape through, nor would it even be enough for her to set one foot on.

She looked down at her hands in wonder and defeat.

"What's happening to me?"

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**Review please! 8 more til we reach 60!**

**Wish me luck on my interview. :)**


	8. Attack

**Hello all! Here I am, at last, with chapter 8. I'm working on chapter 14 as we speak...I'm learning a lot from my Writer's Craft class about creative writing and it turns out that I'm actually doing some stuff right. Who knew?**

**Anyway, here are my thank you's for today (I got some amazing reviews, thank you all so much!): Zamaya, NinjaSheik, Clarilune, phantombullets240, Witchgirl590, Island-style-girl, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, NinjaLadyHinata, and pandabearmusic. You're all amaaaazing!**

**I'm going to warn you now, updates might start to get even slower than they already are. I know exactly how everything is going to play out, but I'm having a little trouble writing it down and finding the time to do it, since I've been going through a lot of stuff at school. But never fear, I will do my best to update as frequently as I can. Also, for those of you who wished me luck the other day, thank you so much! My interview was great. Basically, I've been accepted into the program. High five!**

**Can we get to 70 reviews? Just nine more! Read, enjoy and review :)**

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Vilixa was curled up on the bed, knees to her chest, a million and one questions racing through her mind. Why was it that she couldn't open portals anymore? Was it because she denied the Organization? Did Xemnas find a way to remove her powers?

She raised her hand and summoned her Keyblade. "At least something hasn't changed," she sighed.

Then she heard a noise and felt a small gust of wind. She looked over and saw a portal closing behind a cloaked figure. The man lowered his hood to reveal none other than Saix standing before her.

"Hello, Vilixa," he said, grinning maliciously.

Her eyes widened. "Stay away from me," she hissed, jumping off the bed and gripping her Keyblade tightly in her hands.

"The Superior wishes to see you," he said. "And you will comply."

"I won't," she retorted. "I'm not part of this stupid Organization anymore. I'm not anyone's servant."

"Fine," Saix smirked, summoning his claymore. "Then I'll just have to eliminate you myself."

In a flash, Saix lunged at her with his weapon, the power of the moon increasing his strength by ten fold. Vilixa did her best to block Saix's attacks, but they were too rapid and frequent to dodge them all. The large spikes on his claymore sliced through her skin, leaving huge gashes all over her body. She fell limply to the floor, Keyblade disappearing.

She waited for death to come slowly until she heard another portal open.

"What happened here?" came Axel's furious voice. "What the hell did you do to my room?"

"This does not concern you," Saix responded calmly. "I have to eliminate the traitor. You know the rules better than anyone, Lea."

"Don't kill her," he urged. "She still has a Keyblade. She can still retrieve hearts--think it over, Saix. Just lock her in the dungeon for now. She can still be useful to the Organization."

Saix made his claymore disappear. "I don't like this, Axel," he said sternly. "I'll spare her life for now. But don't make me regret my decision." He turned to leave the room. "Clean up this mess...and take her to her prison cell." Then he walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him.

"He _would _make me clean up his mess," Axel growled. "Ugh. Come on, let's go."

Vilixa let out a small whimper and Axel sighed.

"He really did a number on you, huh?"

He gingerly lifted her up, and she let out a small cry as the wounds that had started to close were reopened and blood started dripping down, cascading onto the floor. Axel quickly teleported himself and the nearly broken girl to the dungeon in the castle's basement and placed her inside the giant cell. He took a potion out of his cloak's pocket and raised it to her lips, making sure that she downed the entire bottle.

The open wounds closed themselves, and the bleeding stopped. Vilixa, however, would not open her eyes. She laid limply in Axel's arms, unmoving and barely breathing.

"I'm sorry about this," he said sadly. "I never meant for this to happen."

The left the dungeon and immediately went on the search for Saix. He found him after about ten minutes of searching the castle. He was in Vexen's old laboratory leafing through some of the scientist's journals.

"Saix!" Axel barked. "What do you think you're doing? You almost killed her!"

"That was the point," Saix said calmly. "The Superior wanted her to be dealt with."

"Then why didn't he just do it himself?" he demanded.

Saix huffed, "The Superior is very busy. He cannot be expected to do everything on his own."

Axel crossed his arms over his chest and let out a low growl. "You still didn't have the right to nearly kill her. She's just a kid."

Saix eyed Axel curiously. "She may just be a 'kid'," he replied, "but she is still a threat to the Organization. She has a hidden power that she seems to have just discovered...she needs to either rejoin the Organization and prove her loyalty to Lord Xemnas, or she must be eliminated before she discovers how to control her powers."

"Powers?" Axel asked, confused. "What powers? She wouldn't hurt a fly."

Saix let out a dry laugh and shook his head. "Lord Xemnas and I sent one of my Nobodies to dispose of her, but it seems as if the tables were turned. She has the ability to harness light--much like Roxas, if she became aware of her abilities and how to control them, she could destroy us all."

"I know her," Axel insisted. "There's no way she'd be able to destroy us. She's not a violent person. Why else would she be so insistant on not using her Keyblade?"

"If she's so useless, then why did you make me spare her?" Saix asked, an eyebrow raised.

Axel sighed. "She may be a traitor, Saix, but she's still my friend."

Saix turned to leave. He opened the door to the laboratory and said as he left, "Remember where your loyalties lie, Lea. With the Organization, or with a broken puppet."

The door slammed shut, leaving Axel alone with his thoughts. "She's not a puppet," he muttered. "And she's not broken."

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Vilixa's eyes slowly opened, but her arms and legs felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each. She managed to raise herself up to her elbows before collapsing back onto the ground. She let out an involuntary cry as pain shot through her entire body, and she looked around at where she was.

The cell was tall, with heavy bars blocking her only way out. There was a long, hard bench across the back wall and a large lock that kept the door shut. She tried to summon her Keyblade, but it wouldn't come. She was about to ask herself why when Saix appeared from a portal.

"You can't use magic in here," he said tauntingly. "The confines of this cell completely strip you of any powers or abilities that you have. Including summoning your Keyblade."

"Vexen's only useful invention, right?" she muttered scathingly.

Saix only grunted. "Do not speak ill of your former comrades," he said. "You're walking on thin ice as it is."

"Why didn't you just kill me when you had the chance?" she asked.

"Do not think of me as a merciful being," he stated. "It was Axel's choosing. He felt that you could still be useful to the Organization. But I don't believe that you'd be useful with heart collection in the field...but perhaps we could use you...as bait."

"Bait?" she repeated. "What do you mean?"

"The Keybearer," Saix grinned. "He'll be out looking for you, won't he?"

Vilixa glared at Saix with a burning hatred. "You leave Sora out of this."

"We'd love to," he answered, "but alas, he is the only one who can collect hearts for us now that Roxas is gone and you have defected. We need him...for now. But soon, the amount of hearts he has collected for us will be sufficient enough to complete Kingdom Hearts."

"You'll never win," Vilixa spat. "Sora will defeat all of you."

Saix just scoffed. "I'd like to see him try."

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**I hate that blue haired elf.**

**Review please!**


	9. Rescued

**Hello my beautiful readers :) We didn't quite reach my goal of 70 reviews, but I decided to post anyway since I found some time and finished my homework early. We had to write a memoir. A lot of fun! You should really try it someday. I might post it somewhere if people are interested in reading. Anyway, enough talking about school...  
**

**I've mapped out the rest of this story. And, if things go along as planned and if I've counted right this time, the story should extend to about 26 chapters. I'm writing chapter 15 right now. So be prepared for some awesomeness! I'm still debating whether or not to include visits to certain worlds. _If there's one you really want to see, post it in a review, and if I get a consensus then I will more than likely write it in._**

**Thank you to NinjaSheik, phantombullets240, IvyFang, pandabearmusic, AoZ, NinjaLadyHinata and Island-style-girl for reviewing.**

**Keep those reviews coming! ****It's like less and less of you are reviewing these days. ****Remember, if you want to see a certain world pop up AFTER the battle of 1000 Heartless, you gotta let me know now so I can write it in!**

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Vilixa sat, propped up like a rag doll against the thick metal bars of her cell. She had been locked there for only a day, but already she felt as if she was losing her mind. She couldn't summon her Keyblade to open the lock because of Vexen, she couldn't open a portal no matter how hard she tried, and she was left all alone.

Or...so she thought.

The door to the all-white dungeon swung open haphazardly and Axel trotted through with a bag in his hand, his typical sideways grin on his face.

"Hey, Vee."

She glared at him and then looked away. "Leave."

"Ouch," he muttered, feigning hurt. "I thought we were best friends, Vee. Why are you acting so mad?"

"You know exactly why," she shot. "You dragged me here against my will, left for whatever reason and then let Saix nearly kill me. All because of your stupid orders. I'm sorry Axel, but I have a feeling that our friendship has expired."

"You realize that if I didn't go through with my orders, they were going to kill me, too?" he defended. "They were going to eliminate me, and then go after you. At least this way, we're both alive."

She let out a low sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and everything, Axel, but..."

"But what?" he asked quietly.

"...Well," she paused, not quite knowing how to phrase her thoughts. "Do you believe in destiny?"

"Destiny?" he repeated. "I don't really know..."

She sighed again. "Well, I'm not entirely sure that I believe in it either, but...I can't help but feel as if there's something out there greater than me and that I was never meant to be a part of the Organization. I know that I can control light...I belong with the other denizens of the light, not alongside the darkness. I need to fight alongside Sora."

Axel scratched at the back of his head and pulled something out of the bag he was carrying. He handed her a bar of sea-salt ice cream. "I just wanted to show you that some things haven't changed."

She took it and stuck one of the corners in her mouth, tasting the familiar salty-sweet flavour that reminded her so much of the times that she, Axel and Roxas had shared atop the clock tower. Axel pulled up a chair and sat, munching on his ice cream bar as well.

"Do you miss him?" Vilixa finally asked once her ice cream was half finished.

"You know I do," Axel answered honestly. "He was my best friend. And yours, too."

"Yeah," she agreed. "But...you know, Sora's a great guy."

Axel sighed. "I'm sure he is. But Roxas is long gone."

"He's not," she told him. "Roxas lives on through Sora. You wouldn't believe how many times I've seen the same determination in Sora's eyes that Roxas had...their eyes are still the same..." She then mumbled to herself, "and...that's...the most important part..."

Axel finished his ice cream and stood up. "Well, I have to go."

Vilixa glanced over at him and asked, "Why?"

"Missions," he shrugged. "We're working double-time now since so many members have...left."

"Oh," she nodded understandingly. "Axel?"

"Hm?"

"Before you go," she inquired, "Where did you go when you left me alone? You know, before Saix attacked me."

Axel looked around to make sure no one else was nearby or listening and walked closer to the cell's bars. "Back to Twilight Town," he whispered.

"Twilight Town? Why?" she asked.

"Your little boyfriend had a favour to ask of me," he answered cheekily. "He had orders from that DiZ guy to destroy Naminé. And you know that he couldn't do it...and so he asked me to hide her so that she didn't have to die."

Vilixa's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "Well, where is she, then?"

Axel grinned, stating, "My secret." And then he opened a portal, waving to Vilixa as he walked through.

She was alone yet again.

But, once again, it didn't last long.

She heard the sound of another portal opening, but this time, it was from inside the cell. She looked over at the other side of her miniature prison and saw a tall, cloaked figure emerging from it. Her jaw dropped slightly as a gasp escaped her mouth.

"Riku..."

He nodded.

"Riku, what are you doing here?" she hissed. "If they find you, they're going to try to kill you!"

"I can't just leave you here," he answered. "Come on, we have to go."

He held out his hand and she took it. They walked together through the portal and it closed around them. After a few seconds, it opened again, and they were back in Hollow Bastion.

"You brought me here?" she asked. "Why?"

"Because you'll be safe here with Sora's friends," Riku replied.

Vilixa looked up at Riku's cloaked face. "Why can't I just stay with you?"

He shook his head sadly and responded, "It's too dangerous. Just stay here until Sora comes back, alright? Promise me this. I don't want anything to happen to you again."

"I promise," she said reluctantly. "Can I ask how you found out where I was?"

Riku smiled a little and said, "Axel told me."

"Axel?" she repeated. "Why would he do that after he went through all those lengths just to capture me in the first place?"

"Simple," Riku replied. "He didn't want to capture you or hurt you in any way. Those were his mission orders directly from Xemnas. Had he not gone through with them, he would have been killed. This way, he completed his orders and you were freed without anyone having to get hurt." Vilixa eyed him in a sarcastic manner. "Well," he chuckled, "not excessively."

"I almost died, you know," she stated bluntly.

"I know," Riku sighed, but his smile was still apparent. "But you didn't, and that's what matters."

They walked together until they reached the burrough, where Merlin's house was. Vilixa turned to Riku and asked, "Is this where we say goodbye again?"

"Yeah," he responded sadly. "I'm sorry...but I'll see you again, hopefully."

"Alright," she said. She closed her eyes for a minute, seeing the real Riku smiling at her in the darkness. "Goodbye, Riku."

"Goodbye, Livia."

When she opened her eyes again, he was gone. She repeated her name to herself. "Livia..." she mumbled curiously. "Not a bad name for an Other."

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**Review please :)  
**

**And don't forget to vote for a world to visit if you want to see it later on in the story!**

**Remember though, for whatever world it is, it will be the second visit since it'll be written in after the battle of 1000 Heartless. Thanks!**


	10. Meeting Cloud

**Hello all! I decided to update. I hear there's been a bit of confusion as to what worlds to visit, so let me tell you which ones you can choose from to make it easier (Note: I did leave a few of them out because there are a few that would just seem really random and pointless to include):**

_**Land of Dragons (including encounter with Riku and with Xigbar), Beast's Castle (including battle with Xaldin), and Port Royal (including encounter with Luxord).**_

**All three of these worlds have confrontations with the members of Organization XIII, but I'm only going to write in one of them to not create pointless drabble. The other two, we can all just assume that Sora went there without Vilixa's accompaniment. So VOTE!**

**Thank you to phantombullets240, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Zamaya, animechick247, pandabearmusic, NinjaSheik and Clarilune for reviewing. :)**

**PS, keep the reviews coming! Even if you only review to vote. The reviews have become fewer and fewer lately. Which is a bummer.**

**Remember, more reviews mean faster updates!**

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"Vilixa!" Yuffie declared once she opened the door, revealing the firey-haired teen standing before her. "What are you doing here? Where've you been? Sora's out looking for you, worried sick!" She ushered her inside and closed the door to Merlin's house behind her.

"I got captured by Organization XIII," she answered, sighing a little. "It's a long story. Where _is _Sora, anyway?"

Leon stepped forward from where he was standing, next to Cid who was still typing away. "He went off to other worlds. He's probably at the Beast's Castle by now. He has his work cut out for him. There are Nobodies and Heartless crawling all over the place."

"Oh," she said quietly. "Well, I guess I'll wait for him to come back here. Is it alright if I go for a walk?"

"Sure," Leon replied. "Just try not to get captured again."

"Yessir," she said shortly as she bounded out the door.

Vilixa figured that if she went were there were more people and witnesses, it would be less likely that she would get attacked. So she wandered around the marketplace, browsing through random accessories, items and knick-knacks that she didn't really need or even want to buy.

She kept on walking when something--or rather, some_one_--caught her eye. It was a man that was standing against the gray stone wall near Scrooge's ice cream station with blond, spiky hair. Something about him intruiged her, and so she approached him slowly.

"Excuse me, sir?" she asked the man. He looked up at her from where his eyes were glued to the ground. His eyes were striking--a deep blue, even bluer than Sora's or Roxas', with an inner darkness that she could sense by just standing in front of him.

"Who are you?" he asked, almost in a fierce way.

"My name is Vilixa," she said. "Are you...alright?"

He frowned at her and questioned, "What do you mean?"

"Your light," she answered, looking at him strangely, away from his eyes. "It's...almost gone."

His frown grew deeper and he asked, "How did you know that?"

She shook her head. "I-I don't know, I just...knew," she replied. "It's something that I could just sense, I guess. Something that seemed wrong." Looking back into his eyes, she asked, "What's your name?"

"Cloud," he said simply. "But you're right. I...I am looking for my light. And to find it, I have to defeat him. The one who embodies all the darkness in me...Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth?" she repeated.

"Yes," he said. "He must be defeated and I am the only one who can make him disappear."

"What does he look like?" she asked.

"Long silver hair," he replied. "Carries a long sword."

She nodded. "If I see him, I'll let you know."

As she started to walk away, he suddenly said, "Be careful. He messes with your head. Makes you think darkness is the only way."

She smiled at him. "I think I'll be alright."

Vilixa walked back to the burrough, thinking to herself. She was wondering what compelled her to speak to Cloud in the first place. Maybe it was because he reminded her of Riku, and how he was desperately searching for his light and the struggle he faced from trying to rid the darkness from his heart. That must have been it.

She made her way back to the burrough and wandered on through to the bailey. She propped her elbows up against the stone ledge and looked down at the castle below. As soon as she laid her eyes on it, she felt herself start to tense.

Suddenly, it felt as if Vilixa had been struck in the head. Her hands flew up to her head in agony as images started flashing through her mind.

_"The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last princess of heart still sleeps."_

_"Sora, don't give in!"_

_"Forget it! There's no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"_

_"Sora, look out!"_

_"Don't worry, Livia. I'll find a way to bring you back. I promise."_

Vilixa was doubled over on the ground, emitting small cries of pain from her lips. No one was around to hear her--she was simply screaming into the wind.

But as soon as the images had come, they disappeared.

Vilixa slowly sat up, shaking the dizziness from her head and rose to her feet. What she had seen was herself giving up her heart to save Sora...the moment she had become a Nobody. It pained her to have to relive that moment, and it frightened her that she was in the very same world where the painful memory had occurred.

She was about to run back to Merlin's house when she turned and saw Sora bounding towards her.

"Sora?" she nearly demanded. "What are you doing back so soon?"

"Merlin had something to show me," he replied. "And Leon said you were back! What happened to you?"

"It's a long story," Vilixa laughed. "Let's go back to Merlin's and I'll explain everything."

As they walked back together, she explained how Axel had kidnapped her and about her near-death experience with Saix, and how Axel ended up saving her life. She did, however, omit the part about Riku rescuing her because she did make a promise that she wouldn't mention him to Sora--not when he was in his condition.

"At least you're back and safe," he said, sounding relieved. "Now you can come with us on our ship! We've got a lot of worlds to visit."

"Nothing personal against your friends, Sora, but I personally can't wait to leave this world," Vilixa blurted. "Too many memories...all rushing back so suddenly."

"You remember things?" he asked curiously. "Like what?"

She bit her lip nervously and said, "Well, just before you got here, the memory of how I lost my heart came back to me. And...it scared me, Sora. Seeing you so defenseless, and seeing Riku with that look in his eyes...I don't know if I want to remember anything else."

"Hey," Sora smiled, nudging her with his elbow. "Don't sweat it. Come on...let's get Donald and Goofy and we'll head out."

The two oversized animals were chatting animatedly amongst themselves outside Merlin's house when Sora tugged them by the sleeves and started to drag them out of the burrough. Vilixa stifled a laugh as Donald let out a huge quack and berated, "What's the big idea?"

They all finally boarded the Gummi ship and Vilixa finally asked, "Where are we going now?"

"The Olympus Coliseum," Sora answered. "Ever been there before?"

"Actually," she pondered, "yes. On a mission with the Organization. But...I never really got to explore that much."

"That'll change!" Sora declared, grabbing hold of the steering controls, grinning maniacally. "Full speed ahead!"

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**Read the memo! It's sort of crucially important.**

**Don't forget to review and VOTE for either Port Royal, Land of Dragons or Beast's Castle!**


	11. The Underworld

**Okay! So here I am with chapter 11. The overall consensus that I received for the vote was Land of Dragons. I guess all of you want to see Riku pop up again, hmm? ;)**

**The story may extend longer than 26 chapters. At this point, it could really even go all the way to 30. So don't worry, you will for sure be seeing Riku again soon. Just enjoy the ride for now, that's all I can tell ya.**

**PS, has anyone been watching the winter Olympics in Vancouver? As a Canadian, I am very proud that the games are on home soil. And we won our first gold! ...Been watching rather obsessively...moving on...**

**Thank you to all these people for reviewing/voting: Kanika Meskhenet, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, pandabearmusic, NinjaSheik, Taeniaea, DarkFlame Alchemist, phantombullets240, FaisDarkAngel25, xxKHxxFan15, animechick247, Zamaya, and celtic-roses.**

**So far, chapter 16 is almost done...expect the drama llama to bite again soon. **

_**Read, review and enjoy! We're at 88 reviews right now. Do you think 100 is reachable?**_

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"Are ya sure this is the coliseum?" Goofy asked as the entire group looked around at their surroundings. It didn't look like the coliseum that Vilixa had visited before--this place was dark, and the stench of death hung low in the air. There was a set of long stairs that led up to a large white door, presumably where the real coliseum was.

"It's that way!" Donald declared, reinforcing the obvious.

"Oh," Sora blushed. "Guess we were a little off."

Suddenly, a scream pierced through the damp air. Vilixa whipped her head around and saw a woman wearing a magenta-coloured dress with long brown hair tied in a ponytail being attacked by the Heartless.

"Come on!" she cried out. "We have to help her!"

The four of them ran over, and the Heartless immediately backed off and receded deeper into the caves from which they came.

"Thanks, but I'm fine," the woman said. She glanced up and saw two teenagers, a duck and a dog staring back at her. She looked surprised and embarrassed, then stood and asked, "And you're supposed to be?"

"I'm Sora," he introduced. "This is Vilixa, Donald, and Goofy. We came to see how Hercules is doing."

She looked them over in disbelief. "You know Wonderboy?"

"Yeah, 'cause we're heroes too!" Donald announced proudly.

"Ya mean junior heroes, Donald," Goofy corrected with a laugh.

The woman laughed. "Looks like we have a friend in common. Name's Megara. My friends call me Meg. Come on, Wonderboy's probably duking it out in the coliseum upstairs."

"What is this place?" Vilixa asked.

"The Underworld, sweetie," Meg answered. "You don't want to get lost in here. You may never find your way back out."

While Meg, Donald and Goofy were trudging up the stairs, Sora noticed that Vilixa stood back, staring into the cave where the Heartless had come from. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

She turned to him and nodded. "Yeah, I just thought I saw something..."

"Oh," Sora nodded understandingly. "Well...are you coming?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah. Don't worry about me, I'll be right up in a few minutes."

Sora eyed her worriedly before running up to join his other friends. Vilixa made certain that he was upstairs before running into the cave. The different caverns were extremely confusing; they wound in one direction, and then another, making Vilixa feel as if she'd been running in circles.

However, something caught her eye. Something that made her carry on, even though she felt as if her energy was slowly being drained.

The glimpse of a black cloak running in the distance.

She kept on following them until finally they stopped in their place. The cavern they were in was the entrance to what Vilixa presumed to be an even bigger room, although the grounds they were on were already fairly large. It was almost in the shape of a dome, and the person in the cloak stood before the huge semi-circular doors.

Vilixa drew out her Keyblade and called, "Who are you?"

The cloaked figure turned to her and with a gasp, they lowered their hood.

It was Demyx.

"Demyx?" Vilixa stammered. "What are you doing in the Underworld?"

"I could ask you the same question!" he declared in that goofy, over-dramatic way of his. "Xemnas wants your blood, you know!"

She let out a dry laugh. "I figured as much..." she then asked, "You're not going to try and kill me, are you?"

"What?" he chortled. "Me? Nah. I know that you're tough when you want to be. And you know how I feel about combat."

"You know that the Keybearer isn't going to take it easy on you once he finds you, right?" she stated sadly. "You'd better go, Demyx. I don't want you getting hurt...you're my friend, after all."

He frowned and patted a piece of paper that stuck out from his pocket. "Orders," he said. "You know the rules."

She nodded with a sigh. "Well, what's your mission, then?"

"Vilixa!" she heard Sora's voice cry out. She turned to see him, Donald and Goofy running towards her and Demyx. "What are you doing talking to a member of the Organization?"

"Sora, it's alright, he's my friend!"

"Ah!" Demyx wailed. "You!" He studied Sora's face for a moment and said, "Wait a sec...Roxas?"

Sora stared at him blankly. "Excuse me?"

"Roxas?" he repeated.

Sora looked between Demyx and Vilixa. She just let out a sigh and shook her head at him, giving him a soft smile.

"Oh, it's no use," Demyx sighed, taking something out of his pocket.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Sora blabbed.

"Let's see here," he mumbled, reading from the piece of paper he had scrounged from his cloak. "If the subject fails to respond, use agression to liberate his true disposition. Right. Boy, did they pick the wrong guy for this..."

"You're bizarre," Sora stated flatly. Vilixa let out a giggle and Demyx cast her a sideways glance. He pulled something else out of his pocket--a small, golden medallion engraved with a cloud and a lightning bolt. From what Vilixa had gathered from her previous visits to the Coliseum, that was Zeus' seal.

"He's gotta be the thief!" Goofy hollered, pointing an accusing finger at Demyx.

He tutted. "Now that's just plain rude!" He lifted the medallion high in the air and his sitar appeared in his hands. Sora took a fighting stance as Demyx began plucking away at the strings, his water figures materializing out of nowhere and dancing around the entire group.

"Demyx, stop it!" Vilixa cried out, but it was no use. She knew that once Demyx was enraptured with his music, there was no stopping him. She growled and grabbed the tail of one of the stray music note shaped figures and flung it around wildly, destroying all of the other ones within reach.

Once they had all disappeared, Demyx snapped out of it and his sitar disappeared. "Ow," he muttered, rubbing his arm delicately. Looking back at Sora, he grinned and said, "Roxas, come back to us." Then he opened a portal and disappeared.

Sora stared at the spot where Demyx once stood and said exasperatedly, "Guy's a broken record!"

"Hey, look!" Donald exclaimed, seeing the medal on the floor. He picked it up and gave it to Sora, who held it high in the air. A golden light washed over all four of them, and Vilixa instantly felt as if she had a renewed sense of energy.

"What was that?" she asked.

"The Olympus Stone," Sora explained. "It helps give you strength in the Underworld and it protects you from the curse."

"Oh," she mouthed.

"Come on!" Sora said, tugging on Vilixa's arm. "Meg needs our help!"

As the three of them ran towards the doors, Vilixa cried out, "Meg? What happened to Meg?"

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**Review please! 12 'til 100. Craaaazy.  
**

**Land of Dragons WILL be written into the story. Thanks to everyone who put in a vote!**


	12. Facing the Hydra

**All I can say is WOW! 101 reviews in total! And we're only at chapter 12. That's amazing. Here's an epic update for all of you since you're all the best.**

**Yesterday was an amazing day for the Olympics. Canada won another gold, our third, in the women's long track 1000m speed skating, Canada faced Switzerland in men's hockey and my new love Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in shootouts, and Patrick Chan placed 5th overall in his Olympic debut in men's figure skating. Not bad at all! So proud of our athletes.**

**BTW, speaking of figure skating, did anyone see Johnny Weir perform? His score was so low, I was baffled. I honestly think the judges gave him a low score because they're conservative homophobes. His routine was FLAWLESS.**

**Anyway, back to business. My thanks to these people: Giulia95, AoZ, NinjaSheik, phantombullets240, Taeniaea, Stand in the Light-Xynlake, Island-style-girl and animechick247.**

_**Can we get more than 110? Review review review!**_

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Through the heavy stone doors, Vilixa perceived what she thought was a huge boulder emanating a strange multicoloured light. Looking closer, her eyes widened in shock. Meg's body was encased within the boulder, a small keyhole seemingly being the only way to free her.

Sora acted quickly. He drew out his Keyblade and pointed it at the rock--but as soon as the Keyblade fulfilled its purpose, the boulder disappeared. What was left in its wake was a platform with a long ray of green light. Sora looked over at Vilixa and motioned for her to come forward. They both stepped on the platform and suddenly, they were transported to what looked like another cave.

"Meg!" Vilixa cried, seeing her with her arms bound by what looked like chains of smoke. She ran over to her, but stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Hades who stood between them.

"Now, that's what I call a key," he mused. "Gee, thanks for your help! Now have a nice day."

Meg looked confused for a moment, but then gasped. "Look out behind you!"

Sora spotted the huge, fat cat that Vilixa recognized as Pete, and prepared to attack. "What's wrong?" Pete taunted. "Can't fight in the Underworld? Boo, hoo hoo!"

"Better think again!" Sora taunted, raising his Keyblade, ready for battle.

Vilixa took the opportunity to run over to Meg. "Are you alright?" she asked her as she tried tugging on the chains. They were surprisingly strong and wouldn't budge.

"I-I think I'm alright," Meg answered honestly. "I don't know how it happened--look out!"

Vilixa turned swiftly and saw about a dozen bat-like Heartless charging at her. They had hooks in between their clawed feet and they scratched at her skin, causing small cuts to appear all over her arms and shoulders.

She summoned her Keyblade instantly and swiped at the Heartless, making them disappear into thin air, the hearts they'd held captive following suit. She looked over at Sora, Donald and Goofy, who were all attacking Pete mercilessly.

"We need help," Vilixa cried out as more Heartless started streaming in. "We can't do all this alone!"

Sora ran over and tried slicing at Meg's bindings. They disappeared, and he exclaimed, "Come on, let's go!"

And then Pete suddenly fell flat on his face. A Heartless had been chucked at him, and none other than Hercules jumped down from the hole in the ceiling to join his friends. "Sorry I'm late," he said sarcastically before whistling loudly.

A white stallion with a blue mane and long, angelic wings flew down from above and Hercules placed Meg on its back.

"Get Meg out of here. I'll meet you back at the Coliseum," he ordered.

"But what about you?" Sora asked.

Hercules grinned. "I'm gonna show these guys what happens when they mess with a true hero."

Pegasus was about to fly off when Sora stopped him. "Vilixa, go with Meg. Just to make sure she stays safe this time." Vilixa nodded obediently and Meg helped her up onto Pegasus' back. They flew back up towards the Coliseum as the battle below waged on.

"Are you okay?" Meg asked, noticing that Vilixa was looking a little bit pale.

"I-I..." Vilixa mumbled, "I...think so..." She examined her cuts carefully and realized just how many open wounds there were on her body. Those small Heartless had done a number on her--she had lost a lot of blood. She was about to reassure Meg that everything was fine, but all that left her mouth was a gasp.

The Coliseum was in ruins.

"Oh my gosh..." Meg muttered incoherently.

Concrete slabs and pillars were smashed to pieces and strewn about along the ground, and pieces of shrapnel flew through the air and almost collided with one of Pegasus' wings. Meg and Vilixa climbed off and he flew to safety as they remained gaping at the remains of what was left of the arena.

"This can't be..." Vilixa heard from behind her. She turned to see Hercules, fallen to his hands and knees as Meg tried to comfort him.

Sora ran over to Vilixa and asked, "What happened here?"

There was a loud roar and their heads snapped over to the arena where a huge, purple, scaly monster let out a ground-rumbling roar. "I'm guessing _that _happened," Vilixa gulped.

"What is that thing?" Sora called over to Phil, who had appeared on the scene, trying to get Hercules to move out of harm's way. The poor guy was completely dejected and unwilling to even lift his head up.

"That's the Hydra," he answered. "I got three words for you--Am-scray!"

"Am-scray?" Vilixa repeated. "Wha--"

"No time!" Sora interrupted. "Come on, we've gotta fight this thing!"

The Hydra's long neck swooped down, showing a sinister looking face with glowing yellow eyes and rows upon rows of sharp, jagged teeth. Vilixa summoned her Keyblade and held it tightly in her hands, but still felt weak from her earlier encounter with the Heartless. She did what she could to help, charging at the beast at Sora's side with all the strength she could muster.

After a few blows to the head, Sora sliced at the Hydra's neck and it buried its stump into the ground. Vilixa was confused by this until three more heads popped up from the earth and immediately started snapping their jaws at her. One of them connected and locked on her left shoulder, and threw her across the Coliseum into a stone pillar.

She let out a small groan and tried to sit up. "Why...is it always my left shoulder..."

She looked over at Sora, who was still battling alongside Donald and Goofy. They had eliminated the three heads, but then the ground shook with a tremendous force and the Hydra pulled its neck out of the dirt to reveal about twenty heads, all with identical faces, towering over Sora and his comrades.

Vilixa knew that she needed to help, but she had no idea how. She looked at her shoulder and was actually shocked by the deep gashes the Hydra's teeth had left there. She had already lost a lot of blood from the Heartless, but it was draining even faster now. The blood was starting to coagulate at least, but the pain still shot up and down her arm whenever she tried to move it.

She was about to cast a Cure spell on herself when the Hydra's tail whipped around haphazardly and managed to collide with her chest, sending her flying back into a pile of rubble.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to will the pain away. All of a sudden, she felt a strange warmth surround her and her body felt like it was floating. Her fiery red hair whipped in all directions as she levitated above the ground, surrounded by a blinding ring of white light.

Sora looked over at Vilixa and gasped. He had never seen anything like it before. He had to squint his eyes in order to see the faint outline of her figure, but there was one striking thing about Vilixa that he, for some reason, could see all too clearly.

Her ordinarily translucent violet eyes had turned a ghostly white.

He tensed as a scream echoed from her lips and she charged at the Heartless in a white blur. He couldn't even see Vilixa's movements; only the roars of the Hydra and the sound of the Keyblade slicing through flesh let Sora know that she was attacking.

There was a final blow and an explosion of light. Sora shielded his eyes, as did everyone else. Once the light had faded, the Hydra's body fell limply to the ground, finally defeated. Sora looked around and saw Vilixa lying face-down on the ground in a growing pool of her own blood.

He ran over to her and gingerly lifted her off the ground. He turned her over so that she was facing him. Her cheek was tainted with a bit of blood and dirt. Sora cast a Cure spell over her and her wounds slowly started to close.

"Is she okay?" Goofy asked, leaning down to take a look at her.

"I don't know," Sora replied honestly. "She's breathing, at least."

"What happened?" Donald quacked.

Sora shook his head. "I have no idea. But I know someone who just might. Come on, we have to go."

"Where?" Goofy asked in confusion.

"To Hollow Bastion," Sora answered, collecting Vilixa's limp body in his arms. "She has to see Leon."

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**Review please!**

**Our goal is to get past 110!**


	13. Power

**I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of reviews for chapter 12. I only got six, and chapter 11 got 8 while chapter 10 got 14. Let's try and amp up the reviews, shall we? It only takes two seconds.**

**Thank you to animechick247, Taeniae, Stand in the Light-Xynlake, Zamaya, Clarilune and pandabearmusic for reviewing. Loooove!**

**Here's chapter 13. I've been really busy with school and all that jazz, but I'm working on chapter 18 right now...and the story will definitely pan out longer than I thought it would. Expect maybe 30? Maybe more?**

_**Remember: More reviews = faster updates!**_

_**Can we reach 115-120?**_

EDIT: OOPS!!! I apparently posted the wrong thing. I believe it's fixed now, TELL EVERYONNNNEEEEEE!!!

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_All that Vilixa could feel was the darkness. She opened her eyes, but she was still surrounded by a sea of black. Was she in the Realm of Darkness? She stared down at her hands, trying to figure out whether or not this was real._

_"Am I dead?" she asked no one in particular. She expected an echo of her own voice, or the taunting silence that already encased her. What she wasn't expecting was a response._

_"No, just sleeping."_

_She whipped around to see a familiar face smiling down at her._

_Riku. The real Riku._

_"W-What are you doing here?" she asked, unable to keep the smile from appearing on her face. She rushed to him and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. He held her close, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck. "Is this a dream?"_

_"Sort of, but not really," Riku answered. "It's complicated. You see, your body is still recovering from that attack against the Hydra back at the Coliseum. Your subconscious is the only thing active right now, and it brought you here...to me."_

_"Is this the Realm of Darkness?" she asked tentatively, looking up into his aquamarine eyes._

_"Yes," he answered. "This is where I have to stay."_

_She shook her head. "You don't have to, Riku. You'll find a way to overcome the darkness. I just know it."_

_He shook his head. "I still need to use the power of darkness. This battle isn't over yet, and I need the darkness to fight."_

_Vilixa let out a sigh, but nodded understandingly. She looked away for a moment, but looked back up at him again. "How come you aren't wearing your blindfold?"_

_"I don't need it here," he shrugged. "The darkness is where I belong...I don't need to hide from anyone here. So I don't need to wear my blindfold."_

_"I wish you'd come back," Vilixa said softly. "I miss you, Riku."_

_"I miss you too," he replied quietly, leaning down and placing a few small kisses on her lips. "More than you will ever know."_

_"Will I see you again?" she asked. "Soon, I mean?"_

_He smiled and stroked her cheek gently. "I have a feeling that you will."_

"I think she's waking up," Vilixa heard a voice echoing in her ears.

"Vilixa?" she heard Sora's voice ask. "Are you alright?"

Her eyes managed to pry themselves open and she slowly sat up, meeting the eyes of Sora, Donald, Goofy, Leon, Aerith, Cid, Merlin and Yuffie. She looked around and realized that she was in Merlin's house back in Hollow Bastion.

"How long was I out for?" she asked groggily, a hand flying up to her head. "It feels like I got run over by a truck."

Sora chuckled. "Something close to it. Just a Hydra. You've only been out for about ten hours I think."

Her eyes widened. "Ten hours? Seriously?"

"We've seen worse," Leon noted. "You're lucky that Aerith is such a good healer. She fixed you up pretty well. If Sora hadn't gotten you here as quickly as he had, your arm would have been gone."

Vilixa smiled and turned to Aerith. "Thank you so much."

She blushed. "It was nothing, really. What are friends for?"

Vilixa let that statement soak in for a minute, and an even bigger smile formed on her face. Sora sat at the foot of the bed and looked into Vilixa's violet eyes.

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked. "Back at the Coliseum?"

She put a finger on her chin and tapped it for a few seconds before really remembering the events that had transpired.

"Well, I remember that we were fighting the Hydra," she began. "The Coliseum was in ruins. You cut off that thing's head, and three more grew back...one of them grabbed me by the shoulder with its teeth and I went flying into the wall. Then all I remember is a really bright white light."

"Is that everything?" Donald asked.

Vilixa nodded. "Yeah. What happened?"

"What happened was a specialized attack," Leon answered, his arms crossed over his chest. "It happens when you're at your weakest. A sudden burst of power--in your case, you harness light. That must have been what happened there."

"Come to think of it," Vilixa pondered aloud, "the night that Nobody came to try and eliminate me, the exact same thing happened."

"When was this?" Sora asked.

She shrugged. "About a week before you woke up from that pod."

"Those attacks can be extremely harmful to the body," Leon stated. "Well, as you can already tell. You need to learn how to harness your power and control it, or else you're going to keep hurting yourself every time that attack takes place."

Vilixa scratched the back of her head. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"I've arranged for someone to help you," Leon said with a half grin. Just then, the door to Merlin's house opened and a familiar man with blond, spiky hair walked towards the group. "Vilixa, this is--"

"Cloud!" she exclaimed. "Did you find who you were looking for?"

"Not yet," he answered. "Seems I've been given the task of training you."

"So you already know each other?" Sora asked, slightly confused.

Vilixa nodded. "I met him not too long ago. It's alright."

"Well," Sora grinned, "that makes introductions a lot less awkward, I guess."

"Training starts when you're well enough to get back on your feet," Cloud said. "Until then, if you need me, you can find me in the marketplace." And then he turned around and walked right out the door.

Leon, Yuffie, Merlin and Aerith all filed out. They apparently had something they had to work on. Cid was busy typing away at the computer in the next room and Merlin was hovering over a book, literally, and the rest of the group had left the house.

"Hey, Livia? I mean--Vilixa," Sora asked, looking over at her. "Can I ask you something...kind of...strange?" She nodded. "Do I...have a Nobody?"

She looked into Sora's eyes, and saw Roxas. _It's okay, you can tell him._

"You do," she nodded. "When you gave up your heart to save Kairi, a Heartless was created, and a Nobody was created. Your heart was restored by Kairi and so your Heartless returned to being you--but your Nobody still existed."

"Can you tell me about him?" Sora asked, eyes filled with curiosity and wonder.

"I--" she paused. "I think it's best if you find out on your own. I know you will, Sora. The answers will come to you in due time. After all, you _are_ the key that connects everything."

He sighed heavily and ruffled his hair a bit. "Yeah, I know." Then a small smile appeared on his face. "Still, I'd like to have known the guy."

"He was great," Vilixa said. "Just like you." Sora blushed a little and scratched at the back of his head. She was about to tell Sora about her dream-but-not-quite, but then she stopped herself. She remembered the promise that she made to Riku, that she wouldn't tell Sora where he was or _who_ he was. She decided it was best if she kept that promise and didn't mention it at all.

"I think we should head out," Sora said to Donald and Goofy. He turned to Vilixa and asked, "Will you be alright here on your own?"

"I'm not really alone," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "I've got Leon and the others. And plus, training when I get my strength back. Go on, save all the other worlds. I'll be here...and I'll let you know how training goes."

"Alright," Sora said reluctantly. "I'll see you later!"

She waved to them as they bounded out the door to the Gummi ship. Vilixa sighed and sunk back into the bed, the soft blankets lulling her back to sleep. She closed her eyes again, hoping to see Riku once more, but there was nothing; only darkness.

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	14. Training

**Soooo, I am disappointed.**

**Reason: Lack of reviews.**

**Chapter 13 only got 5. The number of reviews has slowly been decreasing and that's not a good thing.**

**I need you guys to review so I know if you like the story or not. If no one reviews, how do I even know if you're really reading it in its entirety? It might be the kind of thing where someone just clicks on a chapter, skims the first few lines and moves on to something else. Reviews are key and I need to see more of them or else I'm not going to be updating.**

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_**So let's try and improve on this RIGHT NOW!! 10 reviews for this chapter, or it'll be a while 'til #15 comes out.**_

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"How are you feeling today?" Leon asked Vilixa as she stretched her tired muscles. About a week had passed since Sora had departed, and every time Vilixa thought that she was healthy enough to start training with Cloud, something would happen to set her back. A twisted ankle, a migraine, even a fainting spell. But she woke up that morning knowing that she was going to be ready.

"I'm fine," she answered, sending a smile his way. "I'm going to go look for Cloud."

"Don't overexert yourself," Leon warned. "And be careful. There are still Heartless and Nobodies running around the town."

She nodded and headed out the door. It was still fairly early--the sun had just barely made its first appearance and there was a bit of a nip in the air from the cold night. She walked along the path to the marketplace and saw Cloud in his usual spot, leaned up against the wall staring at the ground. She wondered if he ever even moved.

"Cloud?"

His head perked up and his eyes softened slightly. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Can we start training now?"

"Come on," he said, as he started to walk away.

Vilixa caught up with him and asked, "Where are we going?"

He glanced at her and stated, "The Great Maw. It's an open space not far from here. You'll be able to train properly...without destroying anything important."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she challenged.

He smirked. "It means that you won't break anything."

"I know _that_," she said bluntly.

"It's a joke," he replied monotonously. "Ever heard one before?"

She just stared up at the spikey haired blond that was looking down at her curiously. She just shrugged and said, "You don't look like the joking type."

The rest of the walk to the Great Maw was silent. They arrived at the large, open space and Cloud unsheathed the large Buster sword from its holder and held it in front of him steadily. Vilixa eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm going to attack you," he stated. "Do your best to defend against it. Concentrate your energy...don't forget, we're trying to control your power, not abuse it."

"Um," she nodded nervously, summoning her Keyblade. "Okay."

In a flash, Cloud charged at her with his sword. Vilixa held her Keyblade horizontally in front of her, blocking the blows as best she could. She tried her best to concentrate, thoughts flying through her mind, but nothing was happening. She could see the intensity in Cloud's eyes--he wasn't about to let up until her powers were triggered.

"Why isn't it working?" she asked herself. "Am I...trying too hard?"

And then something strange happened.

Cloud jumped back and prepared to charge again. Vilixa squeezed her eyes shut and let her mind go blank for just a second, and a surge of energy passed through her body like an electric shock. It was just like the times before, except when she opened her eyes, she didn't feel as if someone else was controlling her body. It was all her.

"Good," she heard Cloud's voice echo in her head. "Steady, now."

She heard rattling noises behind her and saw a large number of Heartless that had appeared out of nowhere. She was surrounded from all sides, but was still encompassed by a ring of white light.

"Target practice," Cloud informed her, soaring high in the air and landing on the rocky ledge above. "Do your best not to drain your energy."

She nodded and gripped her Keyblade tightly. She ran at the Heartless and swung her Keyblade into their armor. Light poured out from her Keyblade and sliced through the Heartless' bodies that were up to six or seven metres away, and in mere seconds, they were gone.

The light started to fade and Vilixa fell to her knees. She was panting heavily--tired and a bit worn out, but not pushed so far off the edge that she couldn't recover. The sound of footsteps behind her let her know that Cloud was approaching. She turned to him and gave him a small smile.

"Good work," he said. "Dawn, tomorrow. Be here, and we'll try it again. Next time, I don't want to see you breaking a sweat."

* * * * *

"Do not think that we have simply overlooked the escape of Number XIV," Xemnas boomed from his throne, looking down on the remaining Organization members. "I want her found and eliminated. This has gone on long enough. We have shown her mercy countless times, and to no avail. This time, I want her erased from existence."

Axel grunted and avoided eye contact with the Superior. He could feel his eyes boring through his skull, and Saix's suspicious glances from the other side of the room.

"Number VIII," Xemnas called to him. "Is there something that is troubling you?"

Axel looked up briefly, but then quickly removed his eyes. "No, sir."

"She escaped on your watch," he noted. "Don't believe that we have forgotten. This is not the first time that something such as this has occurred." Xemnas looked around the room. "This goes for everyone. If you spot Vilixa, it is your duty to destroy her upon sight."

Axel furrowed his brow and clenched his fist slightly. He peered over at Saix, who had a smug grin on his face. He narrowed his eyes at his comrade and let out a silent, frustrated sigh.

The smile was evident in Xemnas' voice as he casually rested his elbow against his armrest and said, "Meeting adjourned."

Axel summoned a portal and found himself in the Gray Room. He plopped down on the couch closest to the enormous windows and propped his feet against the table, his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't in the least bit happy.

Demyx sauntered over in his usual happy-go-lucky way and sat down on the couch opposite to him. "Wow, rough meeting, huh?" he asked, striking up conversation.

"Yeah," Axel replied shortly.

Demyx drummed his fingers along his chin. "If you see Vilixa, are you going to go through with it?"

Axel looked up at Demyx, but then sighed once more. "I don't know. She's still my friend, but an order is an order."

"Yeah," Demyx nodded slowly, "I guess."

Saix marched over to where the two Nobodies sat and handed them each a piece of paper. "These are your missions for today," he said. "Axel, you are to eliminate the giant Heartless that has surfaced in Agrabah. Demyx, head out to Hollow Bastion. See if you can awaken Roxas from within the Keybearer. It doesn't have to be immediately, but see to it that this mission gets completed."

"Again?" Demyx whined. "I tried that before, and I got lots of bruises! I'm not meant for combat..."

"It's either duel the Keybearer or be eliminated," Saix responded brusquely. "Your choice."

Demyx sighed. "Some choice."

Saix smirked triumphantly and walked out of the room. Axel looked at Demyx, the colour drained from his face. He didn't look like his usual self--it was almost as if Demyx's ghost, provided that he had one, was sitting in his place.

"No matter what happens, I'll be dead meat," he said shakily.

Axel walked over to Demyx and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "You'll do just fine against him. Maybe he'll take it easy on you...you remember how Roxas would always let you go."

"This isn't Roxas," Demyx hissed. "I tried that in the Coliseum. The Keybearer is a dangerous kid." He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I'll leave for my mission tomorrow. But for now--" he waved his hand and his sitar appeared out of thin air. "--I need my music."

Axel summoned a portal and set one foot inside. He looked back at Demyx and shook his head. Then he called out, "Good luck, then."

Demyx looked over and nodded. "Goodbye."

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	15. Ansem's Computer

**So, I tried updating earlier this morning and the site wouldn't let me...so this update really should have been up about six hours ago. Never fear, it is now here.**

**My huuuuge list of thank you's today: animechick247, pandabearmusic, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, phantombullets240, AoZ, celtic-roses, Xynlake the 14th member, NinjaSheik, xxKHxxFan15, Giulia95, Zamaya, Clarilune, Monkeychicklet23, Kingdomheartsgirl132, and Chocoboco.**

**Life is so much easier when I don't have to threaten people for reviews. Let's not go through that again. :)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. I'm on chapter 20 as we speak...and I'm about 99% sure that this story will exceed 30, because that thing happens when I'm writing where I can't stop and have to break it up into separate chapters...for example, chapter 19 was so long that I had to divide it in two. But that's another story.**

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At the crack of dawn, Vilixa was up and ready to go train at the Great Maw with Cloud. She jogged over to the cliff that was overlooking the Great Maw and gasped at what she saw. The entire area was infested with Heartless.

She heard footsteps and turned to her left to see Cloud walking towards her.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Why are there so many Heartless here?"

"I'm not sure," Cloud replied. "But I don't think it's safe to train here right now. We have to get back to Merlin's house and warn the others. The Heartless are starting to appear all over the place. It might be because they found Ansem's secret computer."

Vilixa looked up at Cloud. "Huh? Ansem's secret computer?"

"Yeah," he said. "Let's find Leon. He'll explain everything to you."

Back at Merlin's house, everyone was starting to congregate. Leon turned to Vilixa and said, "Sora's on his way. We've found the location of Ansem's computer in the Postern. Go, and we'll meet you there."

Vilixa nodded and headed back out the door. She walked through the Bailey, trying her best to avoid contact with any Heartless. While she figured out how to control her powers, she wasn't positive yet that she was absolutely sure of what she was doing.

At the restoration site, she heard a voice calling her name. She turned to see Sora, Donald and Goofy jogging towards her. She smiled and waved, walking over to greet them.

"Hey!" she said with a grin. "What world did you just come back from?"

"A few, actually," Sora replied with a huge, cheesy smile on his face. "I got to be a pirate!"

She cocked her head to the side and stared at Sora with big, confused eyes. "What's a pirate?"

Sora smacked his hand up to his face and answered with a chuckle, "Something cool. Don't worry about it."

"Hurry up!" Donald called from about ten feet ahead. "We have to go meet the others at the Postern!"

"Right," Sora and Vilixa nodded in unison. The four of them ran further along the path carved between the two huge stone walls that seemed to close in around them, past the stray pieces of metal and pipes until they saw the castle slowing coming into view.

There was a small door that was off to the side of the building with a path that was made of improperly placed metal slabs. The four of them cautiously crossed them before finally reaching the inside...which just happened to be a maze.

"Oh, great," Donald honked. "What could be worse than a maze?"

At that instant, huge swirls of darkness started appearing out of thin air and Heartless began pouring out. Vilixa shot Donald a small glare and he shrugged and let out a small, apologetic laugh.

"Come on, we can get 'em!" Sora declared, charging at the Heartless with his Keyblade. Vilixa summoned hers as well and threw herself into the fray. It didn't take long for the Heartless to be eliminated, and so the four of them dashed down the winding halls until they finally saw a door.

"More Heartless!" Vilixa cried, seeing them start to hover closer.

"There's no time to get them, come on, we've got to hurry!" Sora urged as they ran to the door, the Heartless hot on their trails. Sora grabbed the door handle and threw it open. Vilixa, Donald and Goofy barrelled inside and Sora followed suit, slamming the door and locking it behind them.

Vilixa was sitting on the ground, her back propped up against the wall, gasping for air. "Never..." she panted, "never...ever....do that again."

Sora chuckled and looked around the room. His eyes fell upon a huge painting of a man with silver hair in a white suit. "Ansem..."

"Gawrsh," Goofy stated, "this must be his room."

Donald looked confused. "Where's the key?"

"Hello?" Sora called out. But the room seemed so small, Vilixa thought it was a bit pointless.

"Hey, you!" a female voice called out. Vilixa turned her head to the left and saw a tall woman with long, black hair and big brown eyes by the door. She wore a black leather vest that was zipped to the top, long black shorts and matching black leather gloves. "I'm looking for someone. Have you seen a guy with spikey hair?"

Sora tugged on one of his many spikes.

She giggled slightly. "Spikier."

Sora, Donald and Goofy shrugged. Vilixa bit her lip and wondered, _Could she be looking for Cloud?_

"I'll just take a look around," she said casually.

She knocked on the walls, looked under Ansem's desk, checked the books on the shelves, and then went back to one strangely vacant wall and stood in front of it, motionless for a moment. And then she just started pounding on it with her hands and feet, causing the room to shake.

She smiled at them and said, "Sorry to bother you." And then she left.

"No bother, ma'am," Sora, Donald and Goofy announced all together.

"Weirdos," Vilixa muttered with a smile.

Then she exited, closing the door softly behind her.

"So you made it," a familiar voice called from the wall that the woman had been trying to destroy.

"Leon!" Sora gasped. He nodded.

"Come on. We've found the computer." Leon placed his hand gently on one part of the wall, and a rectangle of light appeared from underneath his palm. Then the wall seemed to disappear, exposing a secret passage into another room.

"Woah," Vilixa breathed. "Ansem's computer..."

Everyone walked along the narrow bridge to get into the computer room, and Vilixa immediately felt a familiarity when she encountered all the technology. She knew that DiZ was Ansem the Wise because Riku had told her. She couldn't help but remember the computer simulation that he had created in order to hold Roxas captive. She thought of her lost friend, and a wave of sadness overcame her.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked. She looked into his blue eyes and saw Roxas smiling back at her.

"I'm alright," she said truthfully. "Come on. Let's check out that computer."

He turned to it slowly. "This is it..." he said quietly. "Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?" he typed in his questions on the keyboard. And then suddenly, he started pounding his fists against it.

Knowing the depth of Ansem's technological abilities, Vilixa declared, "No, Sora! You'll break it!"

Sora scratched at the back of his head. "Oh, sorry...guess I got a little carried away."

Vilixa turned her eyes away from the computer for a moment to look out into the vast hall below. Rows upon rows of machines...she wondered if Ansem had used those machines to produce the Heartless. After all, they were his creation.

When she looked back at the computer, Donald had, for some reason, jumped onto the keyboard. Her eyes widened when she heard an alarm go off.

"Attention current user. Further misuse of this terminal with result in immediate defensive action."

"Who's there?" Sora asked.

"I am the Master Control Program. I oversee this system," the voice droned from the computer screen.

Donald looked around cautiously, and then tried to take a step off the keys. He, unfortunately, hit the wrong thing and the alarm blared again.

"Donald!" everyone yelled.

"I'm sorry!" he replied hastily.

"Decision gate reached," the computer announced. "You are all under arrest."

"Arrest?" Vilixa asked, backing away from the computer.

Leon looked over at the huge portal behind them and saw that it was starting to light up. "Run!" he told Sora, Donald and Goofy.

But it was too late.

A light from the portal shone on them and turned them into data before their very eyes. It only took about ten seconds, and then they were sucked into the computer program.

Vilixa gulped and said, "I think it's safe to say...that this is no good?"

Leon nodded soberly and agreed. "This is no good."

* * *

**Suspense. Whaaaaat.**

**Anyway, please review! 13 more 'til 140 and potentially chapter 16 :P**


	16. The DTD

**I love you guys so much. You rock hard. :) My huge list of thank you's today: animechick247, phantombullets240, AoZ, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, NinjaSheik, pandabearmusic, celtic-roses, Monkeychicklet23, Chocoboco, RedQueen, and Xynlake the 14th member.**

**There is chapter 16! I had a lapse of writer's block for a little bit, so I'm still working on chapter 20 right now. School's been hectic with all sorts of writing projects and stuff, so my mind's been straying somewhat.**

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* * *

"How are we supposed to get them out?" Aerith asked frantically. Leon had notified the others, and so Aerith and Yuffie were both there alongside himself and Vilixa.

"I really don't know," he answered, his fingers flying wildly over the keyboard. "I can see...something here. They've been turned into data, but I think that they're okay."

Vilixa bit her lip nervously. "Can they get out, though?"

"We'll have to try and open the portal again," Leon said. "But don't worry. We'll figure out something."

Aerith placed a hand on Vilixa's shaking shoulder. "Don't worry," she said calmly. "We've got it under control. Why don't you go get some fresh air?"

Vilixa didn't want to go. "But..."

"It'll do you good," Yuffie stated. "Go on. We've got it all under control!"

Reluctantly, she agreed. She left the building and found herself in the Postern. She looked over the edge of the raised platform that overlooked the restoration site and sighed, taking in long, deep breaths of fresh air.

Her zen moment was interrupted by a huge ball of energy hitting the center of the platform, causing the entire thing to shake violently. She looked and saw a man with long, silver hair and a black wing protruding from his right shoulder turn to her with a strange grin on his face.

"Sephiroth..." she gasped. "You're the darkness in Cloud's heart!"

"Did Cloud tell you that?" he mused. "Then he must understand..."

"Just what are you going to do to him?" she asked, summoning her Keyblade and gripping it tightly.

Sephiroth smirked. "Nothing. Cloud is the one who hungers for darkness."

"He says he's got a score to settle with you."

"So we wants to meet me," he said. "Hm. Then I should give him what he wants." He started to walk away. his one wing extending, beating in he air. "That last bit of light is always the hardest to snuff out."

Then he rose into the air and disappeared into the darkness.

Vilixa stared at the spot where he had just been in both wonder and fear. She had to find Cloud and tell him about Sephiroth.

She ran as fast as her small legs could take her back to the marketplace, where she assumed that Cloud would be. He was leaned up against the cold, stone wall just as she thought, and she skidded to a stop, gasping for breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

She held up a finger, signalling for him to wait as she attempted to catch her breath. "I saw Sephiroth."

Cloud's expression darkened. "Where?"

"In the Postern," she managed. "But he disappeared. He told me that he wants to meet with you."

Cloud frowned deeply, his arms folded over his chest. He lowered his head, deep in thought. "I knew he would."

"Are you going to fight him?" she asked. "I can sense the darkness inside his heart...are you sure you can defeat it?"

He let out a sigh. "Honestly...I don't know." He pushed himself off the wall and started to walk away. "Thanks for the heads up," he called to her as he made his way out of the marketplace.

Vilixa's eyes followed Cloud as he slowly faded into the distance. Sighing to herself, she combed her fingers through her vibrant hair and made the long journey back to Ansem's study. She had just made it back to the restoration site when a familiar face nearly barrelled into her.

"Sora?" she asked, baffled. "You're back? When?"

"About thirty seconds ago," he replied cheekily. "Come on! We're onto something!" He grabbed her wrist and practically dragged her back into Ansem's study. The giant portrait of the silver-haired man was placed on the floor by the bookshelves and it revealed a carving in the wall that looked like a heart.

"Wait, I don't understand, how did you get back?" Vilixa kept asking as Sora was frantically trying to avert her attention to the wall. "You were sucked into the computer!"

"Oh, turns out there's a whole other world in the computer network," Sora explained in a rushed tone. "It's run by the MCP, and there's a guy named Tron in there, and he needs our help to access the DTD. He helped us get back by opening a terminal and stuff."

"DTD?" Vilixa repeated. "Is that English?"

"DTD," Sora repeated, pointing his fingers excitedly at the carving on the wall. "Look, that's what I've been trying to show you. The Door To Darkness. It turns out that the guy that we defeated last time was really some guy named Xehanort's Heartless, and that he took Ansem's name. Apparently he was the real Ansem's assistant."

This was not new information for Vilixa, but she nodded anyway. "I'm trusting that you know what you're doing, right, Sora?"

"Yep," Sora nodded proudly. "Donald, Goofy and I are going back in. Wanna come with? You'll like Tron. He's a great guy!"

Vilixa just stared at him.

"Okay, okay," he mused. "I'll catch you later."

She watched as Sora scurried into the computer room and took in a deep breath. If she had let on that she had already known about Xehanort and Ansem, then she was afraid that she would let information about Riku slip as well.

She stared down at the portrait of Xehanort, looking into his piercing, evil yellow eyes. She furrowed her brow and was about to grab the painting as slice a hole right through the center when a gentle hand placed itself on her wrist.

Vilixa looked down and saw King Mickey staring up at her, a small smile on his face. "Hello, Vilixa," he said. "It's good to see ya!"

"Your Majesty," she said, returning the smile and bowing slightly. "What are you doing here?" She looked over to make sure that Sora didn't see or hear her. He was gone, so she assumed that he had been transported back into the computer. "How's Riku?"

"Aw, he's fine," he told her. "He misses ya."

She smiled. "I miss him, too." She paused for a second. "Does Sora know you're here?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"Does he know about Riku?"

Mickey shook his head. "I made a promise just like you did. We can't tell Sora about him and what happened. I don't think he'd be able to handle it. He'll just have to figure it out on his own." Vilixa nodded and Mickey tugged on her hand. "Come on. Let's go see what Leon's up to."

She and the King walked into the computer room where Leon stood beside Yuffie and Aerith, arms crossed over his chest in his usual style, staring down at the computer.

"He's in, right?" Mickey asked him.

"Yeah," Leon replied. "Let's hope the password works."

Vilixa looked up at Leon. "Password? What for?"

"We needed a password to get access to the MCP," Leon explained. "Turns out that the password is the names of all the Princesses of Heart. Jasmine, Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, Alice, Aurora, and--"

"--And Kairi," she finished. "Yeah...I got it."

Leon nodded. "Shouldn't be much longer now."

"I'll be back," Mickey said. "I have to go check on the town. I'll see ya soon." Everyone nodded and he left.

They all stood there before the computer, staring at the screen with burning eyes. Vilixa let out a small yawn, but controlled herself from falling asleep while standing entirely. After what seemed like forever, the computer started to buzz.

A beam of light spat out of the portal against the wall and Sora, Donald and Goofy materialized out of nowhere.

"Well, that's that," Sora said, walking over as if nothing had happened.

Leon chuckled and pointed to the computer. "Look." The screen was glowing orange with the pixelated images of the three of them, with the words 'Thank you!' typed in white underneath.

"Tron..." Sora mumbled. "Hang in there."

"What now?" Vilixa asked.

Sora pondered. "I know! Let's access the DTD!"

"It's asking for a password," Leon stated.

"That's easy!" Goofy grinned. Sora, Donald and Goofy stated their names and Leon typed them into the computer. After a few minutes, Sora approached the computer and started fiddling with the keyboard.

"Whoa," he said. "It's doing something!"

"I think it wants to know what we wanna know," Goofy said.

Immediately, Sora said, "Riku and Kairi!" His fingers flew over the keyboard as he typed in their names. Then two words popped up on the screen that left the brunette dejected. _Data Error_. "No way," he sighed. "Even Ansem's computer doesn't know."

Vilixa remained leaned up against the wall, biting her lip nervously. _I know where Riku is,_ she thought to herself. _I'm sorry, Sora. I wish I could tell you, but I made a promise. And I always keep my promises.  
_

_

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_**12 more 'til we hit 150. Can we make it?**

**Review please! :)**

**[EDIT] Thanks to NinjaSheik for pointing out my boo-boo! All fixed! xD [/EDIT]  
**


	17. Demyx

**I meant to update this yesterday, but I ended up not having enough time. Oops! Here it is now, hot off the press.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed! There were TONS! phantombullets240, pandabearmusic, NinjaSheik, animechick247, celtic-roses, Chocoboco, Monkeychicklet23, RedQueen, Ark Angel, TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, Kokoro Hikari, Lumen, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara and Hidden Fairy Tale. Loooooveeeee.**

**_Keep reviewing!_ I'm up to chapter 21 right now and the story, in reality, is nowhere near being done. We'll see what happens.**

**_8 more reviews 'til 160_, which I think we are capable of surpassing. Do it up! :)**

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"We have to get down to the Great Maw," Leon's voice came, snapping Vilixa out of her thoughts. "There's too many. They're threatening to destroy the entire town."

"We'll help!" Sora declared. "Come on, let's go!" He ran out of Ansem's study and up to the Postern, Vilixa trailing behind him alongside Donald and Goofy. They kept on running towards the Bailey, and Vilixa was starting to get worried. Why were there so many Heartless? Where did they all come from?

"Sora!" Vilixa yelled. "What about Ansem's computer? Are we just going to leave it?"

"We have to help the town first!" Sora answered. "We can't just let the Heartless take over again. Come on!"

They had just reached the Bailey. Vilixa could see all of the Heartless in the Great Maw, and for once, she felt frightened. She wasn't sure if it was even possible for that many Heartless to be in one place at one time.

"Leon," Sora muttered, "everybody...hang in there."

But then, to Vilixa's confusion, King Mickey hopped down from a high ledge and blocked their path. "Okay, you guys. You've gotta go find Riku and Kairi."

"But Leon and the others are our friends, too!" Sora protested.

"Don't worry," King Mickey stated. "There's already lots of help here."

"But--"

"Donald, Goofy," King Mickey ordered. "Get Sora and Vilixa out of here!"

Vilixa stared off into the distance at the Heartless that were starting to multiply. Her gaze hardened as Donald and Goofy's voices seemed to fade off into the distance. Summoning her Keyblade, she decided not to think. Just to act. She ran past King Mickey and jumped down the ledge toward the Great Maw.

She thought she would be alone, but to her surprise, Sora, Donald and Goofy followed suit. She looked up at where the King was standing, expecting to see him glaring down at her. Instead, she heaved a sigh of relief as Mickey gave her a soft smile, and a bit of a reassuring nod. He knew he couldn't interfere.

They were about to keep running towards where all the action was when Vilixa heard the familiar sound of a portal opening. She turned and saw Demyx emerging from the darkness.

"Demyx?" she asked, almost inaudibly. "What are you doing here?"

He just sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "You know how Saix is..."

"Demyx, please," she begged quietly. "Don't do this." She walked over to him slowly. "You don't have to go through with this. Please, just go back to the castle."

"I can't," Demyx replied sadly. "I'll be killed either way."

She shook her head, her eyes, strangely enough, welling with tears. "You can run, can't you?"

"I can't," he insisted. "I'm sorry, Vee. But I have to go through with this." He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. After a moment, he pulled away and ruffled her hair.

"Vilixa..." Sora warned. "What are you doing?"

"No..." she pleaded. "Demyx, please, I don't want him to hurt you. You're my friend!"

It was too late.

"Goodbye, Vee," Demyx said as he pulled out his sitar and gave her one last apologetic look before his fingers started to dance over the strings. Water figures emerged from thin air and starting pelting Sora and the others. She knew that there was no looking back for Sora now. This was a fight that he wasn't about to lose.

After all of the water figures had been destroyed, Demyx grinned and charged at him with his sitar. Streams of water burst from the ground and caught Sora off guard, sending him flying into the air. Vilixa was paralyzed in fear, unsure of what to do.

But really, all she could do was watch.

Sora regained his footing and attacked Demyx with full force. Demyx blocked a few of the blows, holding his sitar against his body to lessen the force exerted by Sora's Keyblade. He counter-attacked with water bubbles that exploded from the sitar's neck, but Sora lept over them and drove his Keyblade down, attacking Demyx from above.

Vilixa forced herself to squeeze her eyes shut, trying to block out the sounds of battle that echoed in her ears.

Then she heard someone fall.

She opened her eyes again and looked over at where Demyx was. He was on his hands and knees, panting for air. He looked over at Vilixa one last time and gave her a small, apologetic smile.

"No way..." he groaned before disappearing in a burst of water.

"Anyone from the Organization want to be next?" Sora challenged, barking at the wind.

"Sora..." Donald whispered, pointing at Vilixa, who was slowly making her way over to the small puddle of water that used to be one of her only friends.

"Demyx..." she mumbled, kneeling down, looking at her own reflection on the water's surface. "I'm so sorry." She could feel tears starting to roll down her cheeks. Her hand flew up to her face, wiping them from her eyes. She didn't understand how she was able to cry when she didn't have a heart. Or how she was even able to feel remorse for her friend's death if she shouldn't even have been able to feel.

Sora walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know that he was your friend...and I'm sorry, but--"

"No," Vilixa shook her head, rising to her feet. "He had no choice but to fight you, Sora. I would have rather let him die with dignity fighting you than be eliminated by a member of the Organization."

Sora just nodded his head. "Come on. Leon and the others need us."

King Mickey jumped down and ran over to the group. "Are you all okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sora answered, but he wasn't sure if he was really speaking for everyone.

Above their heads, a Heartless was trying to attack someone else, and it was shooting its lasers at the boulders by the ledge. One stray boulder started to fall and was headed straight for the King.

"Look out!" Goofy cried, pushing the King over and getting knocked directly in the head by the giant rock. He fell to the ground and slid back into a wall of stone, motionless.

"Goofy?" Vilixa squeaked as they all ran to his side. "Goofy? Are you alright?"

No response.

"Goofy!" Sora cried.

"No..." Mickey said in disbelief.

"Hey!" Donald prodded, trying to shake him awake. "You're the King's captain! You gotta get up!"

"Come on, wake up!" Sora begged.

Goofy still laid there, limp and lifeless. "Oh..." Donald mumbled sadly, "Goofy..."

"This is not happening..." Sora stammered. "It can't be happening. It can't..."

Vilixa looked back at the King. His eyes were aflame. "They'll pay for this." He shed his black cloak, revealing a red outfit that looked just like Sora's from when he had awoken in the pod. Summoning his golden Keyblade, he charged for the Great Maw, seeking to avenge Goofy.

Donald let out a huge battle cry and ran after the King. Sora looked down at Goofy hesitantly, and back at Vilixa. She just stood there, a hand over her mouth, trying desperately not to let herself break down.

"Come on," Sora said. "The others...they need us."

"I-I can't--" Vilixa stuttered, shaking her head. "I can't take this."

"Goofy and Demyx would've wanted us to beat the Heartless," Sora said, sounding strong. "We can do it. Come on. I know you've got it in you."

She looked into Sora's pure blue eyes, and for a moment, she saw Roxas.

_Come on. You're stronger than this, Vee. You can't let this bring you down. I believe in you_.

"Okay," she agreed, regaining her composure. "Let's go."

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**Keep reviewing! Just 8 more until we hit 160.**


	18. The Battle of 1000 Heartless

**Hey guys! Here's my update. I'm going out to Chicago tomorrow with my parents for the break and I figured I would post something new before I left. Not to mention the fact that chapter 17 got so many reviews. My cheekbones hurt from smiling :)**

**Here are my thank-you's: Chocoboco, RedQueen, Monkeychicklet23, Kokoro Hikari, Lumen, Ark Angel, TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, phantombullets240, Witchgirl590, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Xynlake the 14th member, pandabearmusic, celtic-roses, NinjaSheik, and Hidden Fairy Tale.**

**_Keep on reviewing! We've made it all the way to 168. I think 170 is reachable :)_ I'll talk to you guys again once I get back from the States!**

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All that Vilixa could hear as she ran alongside Sora to the Great Maw was the thumping of her shoes against the ground. She had just lost Demyx and Goofy in a matter of minutes. It was something that she didn't know how to handle. She knew that the sorrow she felt couldn't have been real, but at the same time, there was no other way to describe the state she was in.

The Great Maw was past the reconstruction site and up a tall cliff. The path to the crystal caverns that overlooked it was long and winding, and it felt like an eternity before she and Sora finally reached the top.

They both panted hard, trying to regain their energy from the long distance they had just run. Donald and King Mickey were both there waiting for them.

"Are you okay?" Mickey asked solemnly.

"Yeah," Sora nodded. "I'm fine, but..."

"Oh," Donald wailed miserably, "Goofy..."

They paused, letting the reality of the situation sink in. It was, however, short-lived, because from the mouth of the cave, they heard an all-too familiar voice cry, "Hey, fellas!"

"Goofy!" everyone exclaimed, turning to see their chipper friend making their way towards them, rubbing the bruise and bump that had formed on the top of his head.

"You know, that really hurt," he stated.

Mickey ran over and hugged him. "Aw, Goofy!"

"Gawrsh, your Majesty," Goofy chuckled. "I get bumped on the head all the time!"

Vilixa and Sora giggled a bit. That's when Donald suddenly looked furious. He tightened his grip on his wand and waddled over to Goofy, a dark expression on his face. Vilixa looked over at Sora for an answer, but he just shook his head with a smile.

Donald marched right over to Goofy, reeled back his wand, and clubbed it against Goofy's left leg.

"Ow!" he howled. "That hurt, too!"

The expression on Donald's face softened considerably. "Oh, don't you ever do that again!" he scolded.

"Come on," Vilixa urged. She was glad to have Goofy back, but was still stunned from the loss of her other close friend. "The others need us."

The whole group ran out of the crystal caverns and out into the Great Maw. They all skidded to a stop when they came face to face with the largest group of Heartless that Vilixa had ever seen.

"What's with them?" Sora asked cautiously.

The Heartless stood, poised and ready for attack. None of them moved. It was as if they were awaiting a signal.

"Hey!" Goofy cried out, pointing to one of the high ledges above. A dark portal opened and a man in a black cloak that was all too familiar to Vilixa stepped out. The man pulled down his hood, revealing the cat-like yellow eyes that seemed to burn into hers from where he was standing.

"It's the guy who's not Ansem," Donald concluded.

"Xemnas..." Vilixa mumbled to herself. She could tell that his eyes were completely focused on hers. It was if he was daring her to move.

"You mean it's his Nobody!" Goofy declared.

"The leader of Organization XIII..." Sora muttered.

"Wait a minute!" Mickey suddenly burst. "Now I know! That's Xehanort! Ansem's apprentice! The leader of Organization XIII is Xehanort's Nobody!" He drew out his Keyblade and ran off.

"Let's go!" Sora said, preparing to run after him. That's when the legion of Heartless started to swarm them. They edged closer and closer until they were completely surrounded from all sides.

"Sora..." Vilixa whispered, clenching her Keyblade tightly in her hands. "Are you sure we can take on all of them?"

"Piece of cake," he said casually. "Let's make it a contest. Whoever eliminates more Heartless has to buy the other one ice cream."

Vilixa let out a groan.

"On your mark..."

"Sora..."

"Get set..."

"I don't think--"

"Go!"

At that point, there was no more time for thought--only for action. Vilixa shook her head and threw herself into the crowd of Heartless, slashing away with her Keyblade. She glanced over at Sora and saw that he was having to trouble at all cutting his way through his enemies as if they were weeds in a garden. She, on the other hand, was having more of an issue.

Once she had cleared a small circle for herself, she loosened her grip on her Keyblade, closed her eyes, and let her mind go blank. Taking in a deep breath, she felt a wave of energy pass over her and she opened her eyes again. She had tapped into her inner power and finally learned how to control it.

She took her Keyblade and started slashing through the throngs of Heartless, taken them down with great ease. It was almost as if everything was moving in slow motion. She dashed from one end of the Great Maw to the other, slicing through her enemies, releasing dozens of captive hearts with every blow.

It wasn't long before there was only one left. She eyed it and bolted towards it, striking it directly in the chest. She watched as it faded into darkness, its captive heart floating delicately into the sky.

Once they had all been destroyed, she took in another deep breath and let herself calm down. After a few seconds, the surge of energy started to fade away.

"Woah..." Sora panted as Vilixa opened her eyes again. She felt completely calm. Her energy was no longer drained.

She looked over to Sora and smirked. "I guess you owe me ice cream."

"It's gonna have to be an I.O.U. for now," he confessed with a grin. "I'm low on munny."

Vilixa and Sora ran up one of the paths to a higher ledge and met Donald and Goofy there. He looked around and asked, "Where's the King?"

Donald pointed to the clearing where Mickey was duelling with a Heartless and answered, "There he is!"

"C'mon!" he exclaimed, rushing over to help.

As they ran towards the King, Vilixa caught a glimpse of Xemnas' cloak and immediately stopped dead in her tracks. Sora, Donald and Goofy didn't notice--they kept on running to help the king.

"Your Majesty!" Donald cried out.

Mickey glared at the Nobody. "Xehanort!"

"How long has it been since I abandoned that name..." he pondered aloud.

"Out with it, Nobody!" Sora shot. "Where's Kairi? Where's Riku?"

Xemnas let out a small, gruff chuckle. "I know nothing of any...Kairi," he said, turning to face them. "As for Riku...why don't you ask your King?" His eyes darted past them, over at Vilixa, who was still frozen in place. "Or for that matter...your little friend over there."

Sora glanced back at Vilixa for a moment and saw the fear in her eyes. He looked back to see Xemnas starting to fade into a dark portal.

"Stop!" Mickey cried out, running after him and launching himself into the dark portal as well.

Sora stared at the spot where the portal had once been in disbelief. "He's gone," he said. Defeated, he fell to the ground and pounded the dirt with his fists. Goofy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and tried to calm him down.

Sora paused for a second and looked back at Vilixa. "You know where Riku is?"

Vilixa's voice was caught in her throat. "Sora...I don't know where he is...but in regards to what happened to him...I can't tell you."

"...What?" he asked, once again stricken by surprise.

"I made a promise," she said apologetically. "Just like the King did. But don't worry, he's safe."

"He's as safe as they get," someone said from behind Sora. Vilixa looked a few feet past where he had collapsed on the ground and saw Axel leaning against the high stones, arms crossed over his chest, with a smug look on his face. "Way to fall right into their trap."

"Axel?" Vilixa stammered. "What are you doing here?"

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**12 more 'til 170!**


	19. Maleficent Returns

**Hello all! I am back from Chicago with an update for you. I was actually going to post this yesterday, but then my PC crashed...luckily I was able to save my story files and am now updating from my mom's Mac. Life, I tell you.**

**Anyway! In my absence I planned out the rest of the story in more detail. Chapter 21 is almost done, but it's become a slower process since I have two other writing projects that I'm working on right now. I definitely don't have writer's block, but it's more like me just being lazy. Oops.**

**Moving on: My thank you's! It was so nice to see all the reviews when I got back. Thank you to TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, Witchgirl590, NinjaSheik, pandabearmusic, Amara Natsumi, Island-style-girl, Clarissa Avila, Lumen, Ark Angel, RedQueen, Monkeychicklet23, Kokoro Hikari, Chocoboco and animechick247.**

_**Keep the reviews coming! We're at 182 now, which means we're 18 off from 200. Insanity. Let's just aim for 195...so 13 more :)**_

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Axel simply ignored her. "It's a set-up by Organization XIII. Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless. That's his big master plan."

"Xemnas?" Donald repeated.

"The guy you just saw," Axel levelled. "He's their leader." Tapping his forehead with his index finger, he drawled sarcastically, "Got it memorized?"

Vilixa rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"X-E-M-N-A-S," he spelled, just for good measure. He then looked over at Vilixa and added, "And no more sass out of you."

"What master plan are you talking about?" Vilixa asked, her voice somber.

"Man, are you guys slow," he smirked, pointing at the Keyblades. "Every Heartless slain with those Keyblades releases a captive heart. That is what the Organization is after."

"So what are those guys gonna do with the hearts?" Donald pondered.

"I'm not telling!" Axel taunted.

Vilixa grasped her Keyblade in her hands. "This no time for games! Tell us!"

"Don't tell me about playing games when you're the one who's been doing nothing but playing hide and seek with the Organization," he snarled.

"You...you're the one who kidnapped Kairi," Sora gasped.

Vilixa turned to Sora. "Kairi's gone? Why didn't you say anything?" Sora ignored her. He just stared hard at Axel, trying to get a confession from him.

"Bingo," he replied nonchalantly. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"Where is Kairi?" Sora asked, pain evident in his eyes and his voice. Axel paused, scratching his hairline slightly, looking down at the ground with guilt. Sora became frantic. "Please...just tell me!"

"Look..." Axel started, "about Kairi, I'm sorry."

Vilixa bit her lip and shook her head at her friend. "Axel...how could you..."

"Axel!" a stern voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. A portal opened between where Axel stood and where everyone else was, revealing Saix, an angered expression on his face.

"Uh oh!" Axel muttered, opening a portal himself and disappearing.

Sora was about to run after Axel as the portal closed, but Saix held out an arm and stopped him. "We'll ensure he receives the maximum punishment," he said cooly. His eyes darted over to Vilixa. "It looks like I may be able to kill two birds with one stone. Axel's led me straight back to you."

Vilixa felt afraid, but stood her ground. "You don't have it in you."

"Please," Sora said, trying to reason with Saix. "Just let me into the realm of darkness, okay?"

"If it's Kairi you're worried about, don't," he said. "We're taking very good care of her."

"As if," Vilixa shot. "I've been held captive by Organization XIII. You've probably just left her to rot in that prison cell that Vexen made before he was eliminated."

Sora suddenly burst out, "Take me to her!"

Saix sneered. "Is she really that important to you?"

"Yeah," Sora mumbled. "More than anything."

"Show me how important."

Sora hesitated, but then dropped to his knees and started to beg. "Please..."

"Sora, no..." Vilixa whispered, hurt. "Don't lower yourself to this. Don't beg him for anything."

"So, you really do care for her." Saix looked down at Sora, his yellow eyes glinting maliciously. "In that case, the answer is no."

Sora sprang up. "You rotten--"

"Are you angry?" Saix asked calmly. "Do you hate? Then take that rage and direct it at the Heartless."

He snapped his fingers and a row of Heartless appeared behind him.

"Pitiful Heartless," he said, directing his attention to them, "mindlessly collecting hearts...and yet they know not of the true power of what they hold." He looked over at Sora and continued. "The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free. Until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist."

"What in the world do you think you're prattling on about?" a woman's voice nagged from behind Donald and Goofy. Vilixa looked back to see a wave of green fire emerging from the ground, revealing a tall woman wearing a black and purple cloak holding a cepter glaring down at Saix. "Kingdom Hearts belongs to me."

The name sprang from Vilixa's lips. "Maleficent..."

"The heart of all beings...the heart of all that lives," she continued. "A dominion fit to be called Kingdom Hearts must be my dominion!"

"Maleficent, no!" Sora cried. "No more Heartless!"

Maleficent furrowed her brow and declared, "I do not take orders from you!" She raised her cepter high in the air and even more Heartless appeared.

"Fool..." Saix muttered, snapping his fingers. A dozen Dusks appeared and eliminated them all in one swift attack.

Maleficent moved in front of the group and created a wall of fire that blocked the Nobodies off from where they stood. "While I keep these creatures at bay, devise a way to vanquish them forever!"

"Maleficent..." Sora said quietly, almost feeling sorry for the witch as the Dusks pounced on her.

"Do not misunderstand me," she warned. "I shall have my revenge on you yet. Leave, now."

Sora growled, "I don't take orders from you."

"Sora, come on!" Vilixa cried, trying to tug on his arm. "We have to leave now!"

"But--" he stuttered, "What about--"

They looked over to where Maleficent had been. A pile of Dusks laid writhing on top of the place where she stood. The green fire had been extinguished, and Saix looked at them and lazily asked, "Now then, where did we leave off?"

He snapped his fingers once, and the Dusks were gone. After a few seconds, he snapped his fingers again and the Heartless reappeared.

"Which side are you guys on, anyway?" Sora demanded as the Heartless circled them slowly.

"The Heartless ally with whoever is strongest," Saix explained. He signalled for them to attack. They attempted to charge at Sora, but he sliced them away easily with his Keyblade.

Every time he would defeat one of the Heartless, he became more and more aware of the fact that a small, captive heart would escape the empty shell and rise up towards the sky before fading away.

"Yes, Sora," Saix grinned. "Extract more hearts." Then a portal opened beneath him, encasing him within the darkness. And soon, he was gone.

Vilixa, Sora, Donald and Goofy backed up against one another, trying to fend off the numberous Heartless that surrounded them. Vilixa and Sora looked up at the hearts that floated freely into the air, only to see that they were slowly being swallowed up by the darkness once again.

"No...the hearts..." Sora mumbled. "Maybe everything we've done...maybe it was all for nothing." He blocked an attack from the Heartless and cried out, "What am I supposed to do if I can't use the Keyblade?"

"Imbiciles!" Maleficent's voice echoed throughout the Great Maw. "You can't be trusted to do anything."

"Huh?" Vilixa gasped as the ground gave way beneath her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the impact of her body against the ground. When it never came, she opened her eyes and saw that she was surrounded by a sea of darkness. It was almost as if she was in suspended animation.

Looking around, she saw Sora, Donald and Goofy not too far away. She ran up to them, relieved.

"Where are we?" Donald asked.

"This must be the realm of darkness," Sora guessed. He looked over his shoulder and suddenly sprang into attack mode. "Who's there?"

Vilixa raised her eyebrow at Sora, but turned in the direction that he was facing. Her eyes widened slightly and a small gasp escaped her lips.

A man in a familiar black cloak was holding a white cardboard box in one hand.

It was Riku. It just had to be Riku.

Donald ran towards the cloaked figure, but he disappeared in a portal before he could get to him. It his place, he left the box. Donald picked it up and shook it slightly.

"What is it?" he asked the group.

"Are you sure you wanna open--" Goofy warned as Donald flipped open the lid to the box, "--that?"

Inside the box was a photograph and a bar of blue ice cream. Vilixa's stomach let out a small growl, but she masked it by emitting a small cough. No one noticed though. They were too fixated on the photo that was now in Sora's hands.

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**13 more 'til 195, 18 more 'til 200!**


	20. The Land of Dragons

**WOW. I cannot believe you guys got the reviews up to 200. That is pure insanity. I never thought this story would get so popular.**

**My gigantic list of thanks: Witchgirl590, Taeniaea, TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, Island-style-girl, Clarissa Avila, pandabearmusic, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, NinjaSheik, Lumen, Ark Angel, RedQueen, Monkeychicklet23, Kokoro Hikari, Chocoboco, animechick247, Xynlake the 14h member, and celtic-roses.**

**I won't lie to you, I've barely had time to work on this story since I have about four other writing projects that I'm working on...but never fear! I will dive back into the waters and produce some more updates for you. Like I said, everything's planned, and all I've got to do is write it down.**

**Since we've made it to 200, I really don't know what to ask for in terms of reviews. Just keep 'em coming and I'll be happy :)**

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"Gawrsh," Goofy announced. "It's the whole gang from Twilight Town. There's Hayner, Pence, Olette, and...um..."

"Roxas," Sora said instantly.

"You know him?" Donald inquired.

"No..." Sora replied honestly. "The name just popped into my head. This is...Roxas."

Vilixa smiled sadly, biting her lip to prevent the tears from welling up in her eyes. She didn't realize how much she missed Roxas until that photo was presented to her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked.

She gave a nod. "I'll be fine."

Goofy looked over at Donald, who had the bar of ice cream in his hand. "Gawrsh, are you sure you wanna eat--" he questioned as Donald shoved the bar into his mouth, "--that?"

"Salty..." the duck puckered, then relaxed. "No...sweet!"

Then the sea-salt ice cream bar started emitting a strange glow. It burst into an explosion of blinding light that washed over all four of them. Vilixa could feel herself basking in the warmth of the light, but as soon as it came, it was gone. Her eyes readjusted, and she realized that they were back in Hollow Bastion.

"How'd we get back here?" Goofy finally asked.

Sora shrugged. "Magic ice cream?"

Vilixa let out a giggle. "I guess...maybe we had a little help."

"I guess so," Sora agreed. "Come on, let's go back to the ship."

* * * * *

"I have spotted Axel lurking around that world known as Hollow Bastion," Saix reported in the meeting room, seated on his tall, white chair that was raised high off the ground. "What do you wish to do with him?"

"Axel has become rogue," Xemnas concurred. "He no longer seeks the best interests of the Organization. We must ensure that the traitors are eliminated. See to it that he is found and taken care of."

"Yes, Lord Xemnas," Saix nodded. He was about to teleport himself out of the room when Xemnas' voice stopped him.

"Also, do not forget what I told you," he said. "Do not forget that Vilixa is a target as well. You also had the chance to eliminate her, and you did not follow through on my orders. See to it that it does not happen again. Do not forget that I keep a constant surveillance on the remaining members of the Organization."

Saix grunted slightly, but nodded again. "Of course. My apologies, sir."

* * * * *

"Where are we and why is it so cold?" Vilixa shivered, regretting the fact that she didn't own a decent coat. Her arms were bare and exposed to the elements as she, Sora, Donald and Goofy hiked up a snow-coated mountain.

"This is China," Sora replied. "It's only cold up here in the mountains. Down in the Imperial City, it's a lot warmer."

"I hope so," she declared, teeth chattering. "I've never been here before. It's not exactly getting the best first impression."

"I wonder how everybody's doing," Goofy pondered aloud as they neared a small village. Vilixa frowned as she observed her surroundings. Everything was burnt to the ground.

"Sora?" she peeped. "What happened to the village and all the people?"

Sora sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, the last time we were here, there was this guy named Shan-Yu, the leader of the Hun Army, and--"

"Hey, look!" Donald interrupted, pointing to the other side of the tiny collection of charred houses. A tall man in a black cloak turned to look at them, and then ran off, higher up on the mountain.

"Wait!" Sora called, starting to run after him. The sound of his name being called stopped him in his tracks. He turned back to see a Chinese woman with short, straight black hair dressed in what was typically thought of as men's clothing running towards them.

The woman held her hands against her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Hey, Mulan," Sora said hurriedly. "No time to talk right now. We've got to catch that guy!"

"I'm following him, too," she explained.

"Then let's go!" Donald ordered, scrambling off in the direction of the cloaked man.

Vilixa followed after the group. Turning to Mulan, she asked, "Why are you dressed in men's clothes?"

"I stole my father's armor in order to take his place in the Imperial Army," she explained. "It was the only way I could protect him from being killed. Together, Sora and I defeated Shan-Yu, and that is why I am now allowed to serve the Emperor directly."

"That's amazing," Vilixa stated. "You must've brought a lot of honour to your family, saving the Emperor."

"I did," she smiled. "But now we have more pressing matters. We've got to track down the spy in black."

"The spy in black..." Vilixa repeated under her breath. "Could it be Riku?"

They all ran up the mountain, following his footsteps in the snow. After a while though, they seemed to have disappeared.

"It looks like he got away," Mulan huffed.

"How come you're after someone from Organization XIII?" Goofy asked curiously.

Mulan shrugged her shoulders. "What's that?"

"The guy in black," Sora clarified.

"One of the bad guys," Donald added.

"There were rumours going around the Imperial City about a spy in black," Mulan explained. "I was up here tracking him, but after I ran into you, I lost him."

"Ahh," Sora groaned.

"Sorry," Goofy said quietly.

She smiled. "Don't apologize. But I do wonder where he went."

An eerie silence settled over the mountain. Vilixa could swear that she heard the faint sound of wings flapping from not too far off. Turning to the highest mountain peak, she let out a gasp as she saw a huge cloud of Hearltess flying towards them.

"First thing's first!" Sora declared, directing his friends to safety. Vilixa wouldn't move. "Vilixa, you have to go!"

She shook her head and pointed behind Sora. It was the cloaked figure.

"Hey!" Sora pointed his Keyblade at him. "Quit sneaking around!"

"Sora, look out!" Vilixa screeched, pushing him to the side as five of the small orange Heartless started pecking mercilessly at her back, knocking her to the ground.

The man in the black cloak looked immediately alarmed and started charging at the Heartless that surrounded her. Sora was confused, but took the opportunity to try and defeat his opponent. Vilixa lifted herself off the ground and saw that the cloaked man was materializing a weapon. In his hand was a sword in the shape of a long, red and blue bat wing.

She knew it from the moment she saw him. It was Riku.

Rising to her feet, she summoned her own Keyblade and slashed at the Heartless that were mobbing the three of them. Sora kept attacking Riku, not realizing who he was.

It didn't take long for all of the Heartless to be destroyed. Vilixa watched as Riku shrugged his shoulders at Sora and ran off.

"That guy..." Sora mumbled to himself. "No...why...would he? Riku?" He ran after him and Vilixa followed close behind.

"Sora!" she called to him. "Sora, stop!"

"Was that Riku?" Sora asked, turning to her. "Please, just tell me. I need to know if that was him so I know whether or not he's okay."

"I...I don't know, Sora," Vilixa said, shaking her head. "I'm really sorry, but the Imperial City needs you. Go, if there are this many Heartless in the mountains, what about down there where all the people are?"

Sora bit his lip. "Okay."

He turned to go reunite with Donald, Goofy and Mulan, but stopped when he noticed that Vilixa wasn't following him.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked.

She looked at him over her shoulder and nodded. "I will...I just..." she paused, trying to come up with the right words. "Don't worry about me, Sora. Go help the people. I'll meet you there."

He reluctantly nodded and ran down to go meet with the others.

Vilixa turned back to where Riku had run off and walked on. She looked around a snow drift and saw him standing not far off. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was shaking his head.

"He came too close to finding out," he said once Vilixa had caught up with him. "He can't know."

"I'm aware," she nodded. "But...Riku...do you really think this is fair? He's worried sick about you, and all you're doing is making him more anxious."

Riku sighed. "I don't want my best friend seeing me like this. Sora embodies light, and I embody the darkness. I won't face him or Kairi until I can vanquish the darkness in my heart."

Vilixa frowned at him, but walked over and hugged him around the waist. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do," he replied, resting his chin atop her head. "You'd better go back and help Sora now. I've got a bad feeling about the Imperial City."

She nodded and let him go. "When will I get to see you again?" she asked before heading back down the mountain.

"I don't know," he told her truthfully. "But don't worry. I won't be far away."

As she walked down the mountain trail back towards the Imperial City, she mumbled to herself, "I'd tell you that you were in my heart. The only problem is that I don't have one."

* * *

**Review please!**

**:)**


	21. Return to Hollow Bastion

**I am so so so sorry...this is way overdue. I kept putting off updating this story because chapter 22 isn't finished yet. I am dumb and started a few more writing projects. I have this tendency to bite off more than I can chew. Excuse the cliché.**

**But HOLY CRAP! 20 reviews on chapter 20! I wasn't expecting that AT ALL. You are all amazing. Thanks to: TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, pandabearmusic, Island-style-girl, Catalyna Cullen, celtic-roses, Witchgirl590, AoZ, NinjaSheik, Hidden Fairy Tale, FallenAngelx3, MysticalAlchemist-Vanisha, , Taeinaea, Ark Angel, Kokoro Hikari, Lumen, RedQueen, Chocoboco, Monkeychicklet23, and animechick247.**

**Keep the reviews coming! I'll try to finish up the next few chapters. I have them all planned, I just lack motivation...unfortunately.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Vilixa made her way down to the palace where she saw Sora, Donald and Goofy pounding their fists on a set of enormous wooden doors. Mulan on the other hand, had her eyes focused on one of the tall wooden beams that held the roof in place.

"Over here," she ushered.

Everyone followed her lead and proceeded to climb up the banister. There were a few slips and slides, but they eventually all made it to the top of the roof. Once they reached the inside of the palace, they hopped down from the beams that criss-crossed along the ceiling and landed in the hallway that led to the Emperor's chambers.

Vilixa gasped when she saw a man in a black cloak standing, facing the door with the dragon inscribed on it. Something was strange about him. She knew it couldn't have been Riku. He stood tall, while this man had a slouch in his shoulders.

"Wait!" Mulan yelled as the man reached for the door.

He turned on his heel and stared down at the five of them. Sora lowered his Keyblade and approached him slowly.

"Riku?"

"Sora," Vilixa hissed, her own Keyblade firmly in her hands. "That's not a good idea..."

The cloaked figure lowered his hood to reveal the scarred face of Number II, Xigbar. Smirking at Sora, he replied, "Nope. Never heard of him."

Four of Xigbar's sniper Nobodies surrounded them from all sides. Vilixa watched as Xigbar tried to run away, and dashed after him as the others took care of their enemies. He ran out the door and Vilixa followed close behind.

"Xigbar, you coward," she yelled. "What are you trying to do?"

"I could ask you the same question," he tutted. "Siding with the Keybearer...you should know by now that Roxas is long gone."

"He's not gone," she seethed. "He lives through Sora."

"Fine, fine," Xigbar grinned. "Let's see what happens when I eliminate you, then." He leapt up high in the air and started shooting down at her with his Arrowguns. Vilixa managed to dodge a few shots, but she also ended up getting hit a few times, too.

She winced as she cast a Cure spell over herself, and then charged at Xigbar as he was reloading his weapon. Knocking him down to the ground, she held her Keyblade up to his throat.

Xigbar let out a laugh. "Looks like our little prissy princess got a little tougher," he joked. "Too bad it won't do you any good."

Vilixa narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you talking about?"

Xigbar snapped his fingers and opened a portal beneath him. "You'll see," he said before disappearing.

Vilixa was about to ask herself what he was talking about once again when the ground shook beneath her feet. Looking up at the sky, she saw a huge Heartless swooping down from above. It looked like a huge dragon, something she had never seen before. She ducked as it aimed to attack her.

"Sora!" she cried. "Sora, come quick!"

Sora ran out, followed by Donald, Goofy and Mulan. "What is that thing?" Sora exclaimed.

"I don't know," Vilixa gulped, "but it's going to attack again!"

"Come on," Sora ran towards it. "We've got to get rid of it!"

Battling the dragon Heartless was not an easy feat. Every time Sora or Vilixa would immobilize it to keep it from flying, it would flail its wings around and knock them off their feet.

The Heartless rose up in the air and clapped the metal cymbals that were attached to its tail and dropped a number of bombs over them. Sora managed to get out of the way, but Vilixa got caught in the mess.

She went flying across the square, landing hard on her side and hitting her head against the concrete ground.

"Vilixa!" Sora cried, running towards her.

He lifted her gingerly, checking to see if she was still alive. When he saw that she was still breathing, he relaxed himself a bit and ran back to face the Heartless. He caught an air current and leapt high in the air, latching onto the dragon's horn and slashing away at it with his Keyblade.

It didn't take long for the Heartless to let out a shrill cry of pain, tumbling to the ground with enough force to shake the entire city. The Heartless' body slowly started to disappear, revealing a huge crystalline heart that floated up to the sky.

"Another heart for Kingdom Hearts," Sora mumbled, letting out a sigh. "I guess we can't really ever win."

He went back over to where Vilixa was. She was still unconscious, her forehead dotted with blood. He cast a Cure spell on her and poked her until she opened her eyes.

"Annoying," she mumbled, swatting his hand away. "Did you beat it?"

"Yup," he said with a small smile. "You've got to stop freaking me out like that. That's the third or fourth time you've almost died on me."

She sat up, rubbing her head gingerly. "I'm not safe, Sora."

He cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"I've got a huge target on my back," she explained. "The Organization wants me dead."

"But...why?" Sora asked, still confused.

"They don't take to traitors very well," she sighed. "I expect they're hunting after Axel, too."

Sora frowned and helped Vilixa stand up again. "Don't worry. You'll be just fine as long as you stick with us. Now, come on. I think it'd be best if we made our way back to Hollow Bastion."

She nodded and followed Sora to where the Gummi Ship was. Donald and Goofy were right behind them.

"You know," Sora said, placing his hands behind his head as he walked. "The Emperor did say that he saw Riku. At least I know he's safe."

Vilixa bit her lip and nodded, not saying anything in return.

* * * * *

Once they had arrived in Hollow Bastion, they were greeted by something unusual.

Heartless were everywhere.

"Hang on a sec," Sora mumbled. "I thought that everything was supposed to be under control here."

Vilixa looked down at the Heartless swarming the marketplace. "Apparently not. Maybe Leon knows something about it."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Come on, guys. Let's head down to Merlin's house."

They made their way down to the Burrough, and just as they were about to walk to Merlin's house, a number of Heartless that Vilixa had never seen before appeared out of nowhere. They didn't look like regular Heartless--they had mechanical wires and a robotic movement about them.

"Sora, what are these?" she asked, summoning her Keyblade.

"These are the Heartless from Tron's world," Sora said, confused. "What are they doing outside of the computer program?"

"Maybe Cid knows," Vilixa offered. "We have to get rid of these guys first!"

"Right."

Vilixa and Sora swung their Keyblades at the mechanical Heartless, clearing many of them with just a single blow. Once they had all been taken care of, they rushed into Merlin's house where Cid was frantically typing on the computer.

"Cid!" Sora exclaimed. "What's going on here?"

Cid sighed, his toothpick hanging loosely from his lips. "The MCP is out of control."

"What?" he asked, shocked. "But...I thought that Tron had everything under control."

"He did," Cid continued. "But something went wrong. Leon went over to Ansem's study to find out what all the ruckus was about. Turns out that the MCP is using the data from that computer to crank out Heartless. The MCP's been messing with the town's control system, too."

"That explains why all those Heartless were running around and the security system wasn't doing anything," Vilixa sighed.

"We have to get over there," Sora stated. "Come on."

Vilixa, Donald and Goofy followed Sora as he ran to Ansem's study. Along the way, numerous Heartless that were created by the MCP attacked them, but they were easily taken care of. When they finally reached Ansem's study, they found Leon and Aerith looking completely relieved to see them.

Vilixa approached the computer and looked down at the large screen. Against a black background, flashing green words read:_ Ignorant User, Obey the MCP._

She frowned and heard Sora say behind her, "Hang in there, Tron. We'll be there soon."

Vilixa turned to him. "Should I come, too?"

Sora thought for a moment, but shook his head. "Stay here. Guard the computer, and try and fend off all the Heartless around town. If I can't be there to get rid of them, then it's up to you."

"That's a lot of responsibility, Sora," she gulped. "I don't know if I can handle it on my own."

"Hey, you're never really alone," he grinned. "It's just a state of mind. I believe that you can do it."

She smiled. "Thanks, Sora."

He flashed her a thumbs up and got ready to transport himself into the computer. Vilixa backed away from the teleportation device and watched as Sora, Donald and Goofy disappeared before her very eyes. Once again, she was alone.

* * *

**Review please!**

**You guys are amazing.**


	22. Sephiroth

**Sorry for the wait again! I had serious writer's block for this chapter. And it's short. Pleaaaaaase forgive me for it. This chapter was one of those ones that you just want to get out of the way so you can get back to the good stuff.**

**I got a lot less reviews on chapter 21. Is it because my updates have gotten really far apart that people are losing interest? If that's so, then I apologize again! I just haven't been as motivated to update lately. It's really upsetting. Maybe I need to play KH2 again. It's been a while.**

**Anyway, my thanks to those who reviewed: Clarissa Avila, Mirai M. Mieux, Island-style-girl, phantombullets240, pandabearmusic, celtic-roses, TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, NinjaSheik, Hidden Fairy Tale, Vanisha Tigerseye Stride, Amara Natsumi, animechick247 and Catalyna Cullen.**

**_Keep reviewing please!_ Maybe it'll motivate me to write more. I haven't even started 23 yet :S**

* * *

Vilixa couldn't stand to stay cooped up in Ansem's study for long. After fifteen minutes of standing by the computer waiting for something to happen, she grew restless. She left the building and went in search of someone--_anyone_--that she knew.

It didn't take long for her to come face to face with an old friend.

"Cloud!" she greeted, walking up to the blond who was leaning casually against a wall of gibraltar. "Have you found Sephiroth yet?"

He shook his head. "Not yet."

Vilixa nodded with a frown. "Do you want me to help you find him?"

Cloud's jaw tightened. "No," he finally decided. "It isn't safe for you. Even with your powers...he could kill you. And I can't let that happen."

Vilixa's frown grew deeper, but she decided to let it go. "I'll be seeing you, Cloud."

"Yeah," he nodded, folding his arms over his chest. "Be seeing you."

Vilixa, however, was too nosy for her own good. She knew where she could find Sephiroth...she just wasn't sure if she wanted to go look for him on her own.

Deciding that she would be fine, she made her way towards the Great Maw. She passed the restoration site on her way there, coming to a dead stop at the place where Demyx and Sora had battled and where she lost one of her best friends.

The water had completely evaporated in her absence. He really was gone forever.

Vilixa bit her lip and kept on walking. She was a Nobody, a being without a heart. No heart, no emotions. But somehow, she knew that Demyx's death had affected her somehow. It was the closest thing that she knew to human pain.

She arrived at the Great Maw. The large, open space mocked her, especially since the last time she was there, it was swarmed with Heartless. Vilixa climbed up to one of the ledges that led towards the Crystal Caverns. Just ahead, at the opening of the cave, she could see a man with long silver hair and a sleek, black feathered wing protruding from his shoulder.

Trying to be careful, she summoned her Keyblade and approached him silently.

"Sephiroth?" she called.

He turned his head just slightly, barely acknowledging her. "What is Cloud up to?" he asked, his voice calm.

"He's got a score to settle with you," Vilixa answered simply. "Stop running from him like a coward."

This seemed to irk him. He turned swiftly, holding up his long, silver sword dangerously close to her neck, even though they stood about eight feet apart.

"Do not undermine me."

"You're not giving me a good enough reason not to," she shot back, using her Keyblade to push his sword to the side. "Give Cloud his light back."

"Try and take it back," he smirked, gripping his sword with both hands. "It'll be a pleasure sending you back to oblivion where you belong."

Without another sound, he lunged at her with his sword. Vilixa was shocked by the amount of speed he possessed. She did her best to keep up with him, but after a few minutes, she was on her knees as Sephiroth stood by, a smug grin on his face.

"Prepare to say goodbye to this world."

"I don't think so," she growled, closing her eyes. A wave of light washed over her and her eyes reopened, a surge of energy flowing through her veins. She charged at Sephiroth, engaging the battle once again. This time though, she had the upper hand.

Her powers made her faster, stronger, and more relentless. Some of Sephiroth's black feathers danced gracefully in the wind as he leapt back after a while, his breathing just slightly staggered. Vilixa made her Keyblade disappear, returning to her normal state with ease.

"Hm," he grumbled. "Impressive. But it seems as if only Cloud can eliminate me." He turned to face Hollow Bastion again, just as he was when she showed up at first. "Bring him to me."

Vilixa glowered. "I'm not a messenger."

"You _will _send him that message," he threatened, "or your little Keybearer friend will be next."

Her facial expression darkened, but she reluctantly turned around and headed back to the marketplace where she knew Cloud would be.

She spotted him examining certain kinds of materia from one of the shops when she approached him.

"Cloud," she panted, having ran from the Great Maw all the way back into town. "I have a message for you."

"What is it?" he asked disinterestedly.

"It's Sephiroth," she answered. His eyes widened as he looked over at her. "I found him."

"Where?" he demanded. "Why were you off by yourself? I told you that it wasn't safe."

"I'm still here, right?" she retorted. "He says he's looking for you. Past the Crystal Caverns, on the ledge that overlooks Hollow Bastion."

Cloud sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Looks like I have unfinished business to attend to."

Vilixa followed Cloud as he trudged towards the Crystal Caverns. His expression was grim. He kept glancing at her to see if she was still trailing behind him, and would shake his head when he realized that she wasn't about to leave.

They finally made it to the ledge that overlooked Hollow Bastion and saw Sephiroth standing there with one wing gracefully extended, his back facing the duo. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Sephiroth," Cloud shouted in his direction.

Sephiroth turned and smirked when he saw Cloud. "Cloud," he taunted. "You'll never let go of the darkness."

Cloud gripped his Buster sword and took a fighting stance. "Shut up."

Sephiroth approached him, drawing out his own sword and speaking up again. "You'll never let go of your past."

Cloud grew infuriated. "Shut up!"

He lunged at Sephiroth with his sword and slashed at him, but Sephiroth blocked him easily. Vilixa tried to keep track of who was winning the battle, but they were moving so quickly that she could barely spot them.

"Get him, Cloud!" she heard herself say.

Sparks flew everywhere from the collision of the two swords, and she could hear Cloud letting out cries of pain. Vilixa's eyes widened as she saw Sephiroth's sword making contact with Cloud's body. He quickly regained his composure and counterattacked, sending them both flying in the air before landing on the ground and colliding their swords once more.

"Absurd," Sephiroth grunted. "Defeating me is meaningless. You know that better than anyone, Cloud. No matter how many times I fall, your darkness keeps calling me back."

"Wrong!" a female voice called from behind Vilixa. She turned and saw the tall woman with the long brown hair that had been in Ansem's study the first time she'd been there.

"Tifa, stay back!" Cloud shouted.

"How can I? I want to help you!" she protested.

"You can't," Sephiroth grinned. "He'll never let go of his darkness."

"You're wrong, Sephiroth!" Vilixa growled. "Cloud may still have darkness in his heart, but underneath it all, there's an inner light that's just waiting to push forward!"

Sephiroth turned to her and sneered. "Words about a heart coming from a Nobody."

"The darkness will be there, Sephiroth," Tifa countered. "But it'll be somewhere you can't reach."

"Is that so?" he questioned. "Let's see what this light of yours can do."

Tifa took that as her cue to attack. She jumped at Sephiroth, using only her fists. He dodged her attack and sent her skidding against the gravel. She maneuvered around his sword and tried attacking once more, but missing every time.

"No!" Cloud shouted before leaping in the way and blocking Sephiroth's sword from stabbing his friend.

"Cloud," Tifa said. "You can have my light."

Sephiroth shook his head. "The light doesn't suit you."

Cloud loosened his grip on his sword momentarily. "I just...don't know."

"Don't give up, Cloud," Vilixa called. "Don't be afraid anymore!"

Cloud gave a nod and was surrounded by light. "Stop!" Sephiroth growled before they both leapt high up in the air, charging at each other. There was a huge explosion of light over the city and Vilixa had to shield her eyes. When she opened them again, both Cloud and Sephiroth were gone.

She looked over at Tifa. "Where did they go?"

She just shook her head and sighed. "Gone again."

Vilixa asked, "What will you do now?"

Tifa shrugged. "I guess I'll keep looking."

"Got any leads?"

"Don't worry," she smiled. "Light is easy to find." She gave Vilixa a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about what Sephiroth said. I know that you're a Nobody and that you don't have a heart...but your light shines brighter than almost anyone I've ever met."

Vilixa smiled. "Thank you, Tifa."

She shrugged again. "Don't worry about it. Just promise me that you won't lose sight of it, alright?"

Vilixa nodded. "I promise."

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**I know that it sucked, but review anyway? :)**


	23. Alternate Twilight Town

**Hey guys! Sorry for being so late to update. But I did finally finish this chapter! I've been kind of distracted of late because the Stanley Cup playoffs are on and I'm kind of a hockey nut. But no worries, I am already hard at work on the next update.**

**Thank you to my reviewers for chapter 22: Hidden Fairy Tale, NinjaSheik, animechick247, phantombullets240, pandabearmusic, Giulia95, celtic-roses, Lumen, Chocoboco, RedQueen, ArkAngel, monkeychicklet23, Vanisha Tigerseye Stride, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, and Catalyna Cullen.**

** was a bit squiffy and so I don't know how many readers I had, but I had 15 reviews. Not bad :) The story's getting to my favourite part. And let me just say that Riku will be coming back SUPER SOON. I promise you. I have not forgotten about him.**

**_Keep reviewing!_ And try not to hate me for these slow updates x_x**

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Vilixa made her way back to Ansem's study to see Sora running out of the building looking for her. "Hey!" he cried. "We've got a new lead! But we have to head back to Twilight Town right away. Come on, let's get to the ship!"

She gave Sora a confused look, but followed him closely as they dashed to where the gummi ship was parked. They finally made it as Donald tapped his foot impatiently. Apparently he and Goofy had been waiting for them the entire time.

"Took you long enough," he quacked. "Let's take off!"

Sora and Vilixa got in their seats and strapped in their seat belts as Donald lifted off.

"Why are we going back to Twilight Town?" Vilixa asked, subconsciously playing with her fingers. "What could be there that's so important?"

"Do you remember that photo that we found, the one that was in the box with the blue ice cream bar?" Sora asked. She responded with a nod. "Look at the mansion in the background," he said, holding up the photo to her eye level. "I don't know why, but I just have a feeling that I've seen this place before. And for some reason, I just think that it's in Twilight Town."

Vilixa bit her lip, but tried not to let her nerves show. "I see."

She leaned back in her seat in discomfort, trying her best not to seem too anxious. She didn't want to go back to Twilight Town. It reminded her too much of having to lose Roxas, keeping him confined in that imaginary world. It also reminded her of Riku and how he used to be.

The gummi ship landed just outside of the train station and the four of them went off in search for the old mansion. Vilixa knew exactly what it was, but she kept her lips sealed. She didn't want to let on that she knew any information about Riku, Roxas, or even DiZ.

"Hey, look," Sora called out as they reached the tram common. "There's a hole in the wall that leads to a forest."

"Well, come on," Goofy chuckled. "We'll never figure out what's in there by just standin' out here."

Vilixa followed slowly behind the group. She could see the mansion just past the thicket of trees, and she wanted to be anywhere else but there at that moment.

Once they had gotten past the forest, the entire mansion came into view. It looked just as Vilixa remembered--enormous, hiding behind a huge brick wall that encased the perimeter. Two things were different this time, though. For one, the enormous padlock that kept the gate locked was gone and the doors were open, and three bodies were lying in the grass before them.

"Pence! Hayner! Olette!" Sora cried out, rushing to help them. Vilixa frowned as she remembered their names. They were Roxas' friends. At least, they were in the fabricated world. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked frantically. "What happened?"

"We came here looking for Kairi," Hayner answered. "And then those white things attacked us."

"You have to be careful!" Donald warned.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "You didn't have to do that."

"Of course we did," Hayner stated bluntly. "Kairi's our friend too, you know."

"You're right," Sora nodded. "I never thought of it like that before."

Hayner shrugged it off, standing up. "Word is that this mansion gets a lot of really strange visitors."

Vilixa felt a shiver crawl up her spine.

"We thought that this mansion might've been the gateway to an alternate Twilight Town," Olette spoke up as she and Pence rose to their feet. Vilixa's eyes snapped over to the girl.

"Alternate Twilight Town?" she asked. "Isn't that kind of...far fetched?"

"Not if you've heard the stories," Olette responded, shaking her head.

"What do you mean though, an alternate Twilight Town?" Sora asked.

"Hey Goofy," Pence said. "Do you think we could see that crystal of yours?"

Goofy nodded and pulled out a blue crystal that Vilixa recognized from the trophy Roxas had received after winning the Struggle tournament. Goofy also took out a munny pouch no bigger than the size of his palm.

"I made that pouch myself and I still have it," Olette said. "So...there shouldn't be two of them here."

"And this is the trophy that Seifer gave you, remember?" Hayner said, pulling out the huge blue trophy, the same as the one Vilixa remembered.

"It's the only one of its kind," Pence spoke up. "Same for the crystals. Red, blue, yellow, green--only one of each colour. But you've got your own."

"So, where'd you get it?" Hayner asked.

Sora pondered for a moment. Vilixa looked over at him. She wasn't sure of how he got Roxas' belongings either. She figured they'd just gotten lost.

"The King gave us the pouch for the train ride," Goofy answered. "And the crystal was with it."

"But then, where did the King get it?" Pence pondered.

"See?" Hayner exclaimed. "There's got to be another town out there just like this one. That would explain how the King got that pouch and the crystal."

"Well," Vilixa finally said, stepping out from behind Sora's shadow. "Are you guys going to just stand around talking, or are you going to go and look for this alternate Twilight town?"

"She's got a point," Sora agreed. "If we're going to find that other town, we'd better get started and search the mansion."

Just then, two Dusks appeared from thin air and threatened to attack. They pounced up, but were immediately struck down to the ground where they were sent back to oblivion by none other than the King.

"Your Majesty!" Sora cried. "What are you doing here?"

"I've got something to tell ya," he declared. "I found out where Ansem is! Ansem the Wise...the real Ansem. He snuck into Organization XIII's stronghold."

"And we've figured out where Kairi is," Sora responded. "I'm pretty sure we're right."

"But why'd you all come here?" Mickey asked.

Sora thought for a second. "Someone gave us a clue."

"Who?"

"Well, your Majesty," Goofy stated, "Sora thinks it might've been Riku." Mickey shot Vilixa a glance and she bit her lip, lightly shaking her head.

"It's just a feeling I've got," he shrugged.

"Well," Mickey concluded. "If that's what you think, then you're probably right."

"Then Riku's okay!" Sora cheered.

Mickey sighed. "If that's what you think."

"I've waited long enough, your Majesty," Sora insisted. "Tell me what you know."

Mickey turned his back to him. "It's not for me to say."

"But your Majesty, why?"

The mouse sighed. "I don't want to break my promise."

"Sora," Vilixa interrupted, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If you really think that it was Riku who led us here, then that must mean that he's alright. The King already told you that he has a promise to keep, and he's sticking to his word. Don't force him to break his promise, Sora. It isn't fair."

Sora stared down at the ground. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," she smiled weakly. "Come on. Let's go find that alternate town."

The whole group walked over to the enormous house and Sora pushed the doors open. Vilixa was welcomed by that familiar moldy smell of rotting wood and caked on layers of dust. She eyed upstairs where her room used to be, and hoped that Sora wouldn't go in. She remembered some of her belongings were still there.

Thankfully, Mickey led them straight to the library. The floor had already been retracted, revealing the secret passage into the master computer room below. Everyone filed down the stairs and entered the narrow hallway.

"Hey, we found it!" Sora exclaimed, running to the computer. Several monitors were showing nothing but static. Pence sat by the keyboard, his fingers flying as he typed away.

"It says here we need a password," he grunted. "Apparently some kind of ice cream."

"Sea-salt ice cream," Vilixa said immediately. "Type it in."

Sora gave her a strange look, but Pence complied. "We're in!"

To their left, the portal that was familiar to Vilixa started to light up. A beam of white light came down from the roof of the platform.

"Let's go," Sora said.

"We'll be here to hold down the fort," Hayner nodded.

"Say hi to Kairi," Olette added.

"You bet."

Vilixa, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mickey stood together on the platform. Vilixa closed her eyes, remembering the feeling of being sucked into the virtual world the first time. It wasn't a feeling that she relished. The portal was activated and the light encased them all, pulling them into the virtual world.

As Vilixa opened her eyes to see the replica of the master computer that Roxas had destroyed, she could only feel what she remembered to be sadness.

"This is Roxas' Twilight Town," Sora suddenly said. Vilixa looked up at him.

"Come on, Sora," she said quietly. "We've got to find an entrance into the dark realm."

"Yeah," Mickey agreed. "Let's split up."

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**Review please!**

**I'm kind of dreading the next chapter. The inevitable happens...and if you've played the game, you know what's up.**


	24. Axel

**Thank you, my dear patient readers. I come forth with a new update! Hopefully you enjoy it. The story is going to be ending soon, but not quite yet. I'm thinking maybe at chapter 30...I could probably make it to 33 if I really wanted to. Still a ways to go.**

**Thank you to my reviewers: sakurapedals, phantombullets240, Clarissa Avila, Hidden Fairy Tale, NinjaSheik, animechick247, celtic-roses, Amara Natsumi, ArkAngel, RedQueen, Chocoboco, Lumen, Monkeychicklet23, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, pandabearmusic and Catalyna Cullen.**

**_Keep the reviews coming!_ Knowing that people still read this story really motivates me to update sooner. Hopefully I can get the next one out within the week, but _not without your feedback!_**

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Vilixa moved through the familiar halls, pretending that it had been the first time she'd ever laid her eyes on them. She opened one of the doors and made her way into a bare square-shaped room that had a swirling portal of darkness staring back at her in one corner. She gulped and called out, "I found it!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy and Mickey all came running in. "This is it," Mickey nodded. Turning back to the group, he flashed them a smile. "I'll see you there!" Then he ran into the portal and disappeared. Vilixa gulped. Her fear of the darkness made her feel almost claustrophobic.

Sora glanced over at her. "Are you okay?" he asked when he noticed how intently she was glaring at the portal.

Vilixa nodded numbly. "Yeah. Let's just get this over with."

Sora placed a hand on Vilixa's shoulder as she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She opened them again and let the portal eclipse her entire body. All she could see was a curtain of black. When the haze started to fade away, she looked at her surroundings. It looked like a giant blue void, wisps of light and darkness intermingling to create what looked like limbo.

"What is this place?" she heard Sora ask from behind her.

Vilixa's eyes darted around. She could feel something stirring in the air.

"I don't know," Goofy shrugged.

"Which way should we go?" Donald asked, looking in all directions.

Sora ran forward. "Riku! Kairi!"

"Sora, don't!" Vilixa cried out. Then from thin air, portals opened and out came the Dusks. They surrounded the group from all sides, weaving back and forth before pouncing to attack. A few Dusks caught Vilixa off guard and she fell to the ground, their claws digging into her flesh.

She summoned her Keyblade while she was down and swung it blindly, knocking two Dusks that had been trying to dig into her back. She clenched her weapon tightly in her hands and tried her best to take out as many Dusks as she could alongside Sora. Somehow though, whenever they would destroy one, it seemed like ten more would take its place.

"It's no use," Sora cried out.

"Don't stop moving or the darkness will overtake you!" Vilixa heard an all-too familiar voice shout out from above. She looked up and saw Axel, hurling his chakrams at the Dusks before they burst into flames.

"Axel!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

He smirked at her. "You really didn't think I'd leave you here to die, did you, Vee?"

She flashed him a smile until a Dusk knocked him down to the ground. She slashed at the Dusk, making it disappear, and helped the collapsed Axel to his knees. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Axel's expression darkened. Looking at Sora, he said, "I kidnapped Kairi, but she got away from me. After that, Saix caught her. He's a member of Organization XIII. Saix--got it memorized? Now go save her!"

Another Dusk appeared from above and threatened to come down on Axel's head. Vilixa leapt up and eliminated the Nobody before it could do any harm and screamed out, "Leave us alone!"

With Axel's help, Sora and Vilixa slashed through the hoards of Nobodies. Their efforts started seeming futile though, because the moment they stopped moving and backed up against each other, it seemed like a hundred more Dusks had appeared.

Vilixa looked over at her best friend. Axel looked horrible--his posture was slouched, and cuts ran up and down his arms and back. His cloak was torn and his lip was bleeding slightly. But the fire in his eyes was still the same--he was not about to back down.

"I liked it better when they were on my side," he noted.

Sora smirked. "Feeling a little regret?"

Axel emitted a laugh and turned to him. "Nah...I can handle these punks. Watch this." He looked over at Vilixa and winked. Her eyes widened.

"Axel, don't do it!"

But it was too late.

He leapt high in the air and held out his chakrams. They started to spin, weaving with vines of darkness and fire until a blinding explosion sent Vilixa crashing to the ground, her Keyblade disappearing. Sora, Donald and Goofy tried to shield themselves too, but they all ended up collapsed on the floor.

Vilixa's eyes fluttered open after the blast, trying to readjust to the lack of light. She felt a sob escaping her lips as she saw Axel lying face-up on the ground, his body slowly starting to fade into nothing.

She ran over to him and could feel the tears falling down her cheeks.

"Hey," Axel said weakly. "Enough with this crying business. You don't have a heart, you can't feel pain, remember?"

"Don't start that now, Axel," she sniffled, taking a hold of his hand. "You're my best friend. I can't just let you slip away. Not you, too."

Sora knelt down by Vilixa's side and looked at Axel. "You're...fading away."

"Yeah," he chuckled despondently. "That's what happens when you put your whole body into an attack. You know what I mean? Not that Nobodies actually have beings...right?"

"Axel," Vilixa warned. "Stop saying that."

Axel ignored her. "I digress. Go, find Kairi. And sorry for what I did to her."

Sora shook his head. "You can tell her that yourself."

Axel let out a dry laugh. "I think I'll pass. My heart just wouldn't be in it, you know?"

Sora looked crestfallen. "Why did you do it?"

He looked over at Vilixa, then back at Sora. "I wanted to see Roxas." Vilixa bit her lip to keep herself from crying any more. Sora looked over at her with a strange expression on his face. Axel continued. "The three of us, we were best friends. He made me feel...like I had a heart." Axel paused. "You know, it's funny. You make me feel the same."

"Axel," Vilixa whimpered. "Please don't go. I can't lose Roxas and then you."

"Hey," Axel gave her hand a slight squeeze. "You've got this kid. Roxas isn't all that far. Promise me that you won't forget about me, okay, Vee?"

She smiled and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I promise."

He grinned back and turned to Sora. "Kairi's in the castle dungeon. Now, go." He held up his free hand and opened a portal before he went limp.

"Axel..." Sora mumbled quietly as his body kept on fading away. Vilixa watched in horror as Axel's vibrant green eyes went dull and he disappeared before her very eyes. She felt like she had been sitting there for a long time, just staring at the ground where Axel's body used to be.

"He's gone," she managed to say before curling up into a ball, her knees pressed to her chest and crying her eyes out. She had never cried that much in her life--she didn't even know that she was capable of producing so many tears. She didn't care. She just sat there and cried as Sora wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a failed attempt to calm her down.

"So, you two were best friends in the Organization, huh?" he asked quietly once her breathing patterns became less erratic.

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry I lied to you about Roxas, Sora. I never meant to."

"You didn't lie," he said, helping her to her feet. "I get why you didn't tell me. You don't have to apologize for protecting your friends."

She just nodded.

"Come on," he said, looking back at the portal. "We've got some unfinished business to attend to."

Sora led Vilixa, Donald and Goofy to the portal that stood before them. They all stepped inside, and once they had set foot on solid ground, Vilixa immediately wanted to do nothing more than run in the opposite direction.

It was the World that Never Was.

Her eyes darted around the familiar alleyways, the darkness that surrounded her. She could feel the beady little eyes of the numerous Heartless that infested the streets boring into her back and she summoned her Keyblade again and got ready to defend herself.

Vilixa heard a noise behind her and got ready to strike. She turned on her heel, but lowered her weapon when she realized it was only the King.

"Axel said Kairi's in the dungeon," Sora told him.

Mickey nodded. "Then we'd better find a way into that castle."

Thunder boomed and lightning cracked over the dark city illuminated only by the neon signs that decorated the fronts of buildings. Sora was walking ahead of the pace, leaving Vilixa, Donald and Goofy a little ways behind. As they were trying to catch up to him, two portals opened and Samurai Nobodies appeared, trapping them with the blades of their swords.

"Sora!" Vilixa cried out. Sora whipped around and gasped.

"Guys!"

Then a figure in a black cloak appeared and struck Sora with a Keyblade. He blocked the blow with his own, but after a few seconds, there was a burst of light and the two of them disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Donald demanded as the Nobodies vanished into thin air.

Vilixa just stood there, slack-jawed. "No, it can't be..." she mumbled. "Roxas?"

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**Review please! More reviews = faster updates. Not to mention high fives and hugs.**


	25. The Castle that Never Was

**Finally, I updated! The next few chapters should hopefully come along more quickly. School is winding down and things are extremely hectic, but I want to get this story done. Also, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are on and I've been really distracted by the television (Go Pens!). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this part :)**

**Thank you to my reviewers for chapter 24: phantombullets240, Catalyna Cullen, Giulia95, pandabearmusic, NinjaSheik, Clarissa Avila, celtic-roses, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, Vanisha Tigerseye Stride, ArkAngel, Lumen, Monkeychicklet23, RedQueen, Chocoboco, animechick247, xxKHxxFan15, ccsakura21.**

**Keep reviewing! It's nice to know that people still read this story even though it's been dragging on forever. :)**

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Vilixa's eyes groped through the darkness of the World that Never Was. Donald was screaming Sora's name into the air, and Goofy wandering around looking to see if maybe Sora was hiding. Vilixa just stood there and stared at the spot where the cloaked figure had been before. She knew it was Roxas. She could sense it.

"Where did they go?" Donald repeated, an irate tone filtering into his voice.

"Sora will be back," Vilixa mumbled. "We just have to wait."

"Who was that guy?" Goofy asked, returning to where Vilixa and Donald stood. "That guy in the cloak, I mean."

Vilixa stared up at the sky, Kingdom Hearts floating overhead. "I can't tell you."

"What?" Goofy exclaimed. "Why not?"

"I just can't," she sighed.

Donald eyed her curiously. "Are you hiding something?"

Vilixa glared down at the oversized duck. "Everyone has their secrets. I don't have to divulge anything to you. Nobodies may not have hearts, but we can still keep promises and I am no exception."

"I was just asking," Donald said defensively. "Sorry."

Then there was another flash of blinding light and Sora appeared before them. She heard him mutter under his breath, "You make a good other..."

Donald approached him. "Are you okay?"

"What...just happened?" he asked, sounding disoriented.

"Gawrsh, I dunno," Goofy declared. "You just disappeared."

"When you disappeared, the Nobodies disappeared too," Vilixa added.

"Oh," Sora mumbled. He paused, then said, "He said...he defeated Riku."

"Who said that?" Donald questioned.

"That guy," Sora answered. "In the black coat."

Donald smiled. "But no one could have defeated Riku."

Vilixa stood there silently, biting her lip and squeezing her eyes shut. The others still didn't know about what had happened to Riku...how he had let the darkness overtake his heart right where they were standing. It was all too much for her to handle. She could feel a tear slipping out of her eye.

Sora glanced over at her. "Are you okay?"

She waved it off. "I'm fine."

"A black coat means Organization XIII," Goofy concluded. "He must have just been tryin' to trick you."

"Yeah, that must have been why we couldn't see him," Donald added. "You must be tired, Sora."

Goofy nodded in agreement. "Let's just find a way to get into that castle."

Sora placed a hand on Vilixa's shoulder. "Hey, I know that it might be hard for you to think back to when you were in the Organization, but do you think you could maybe help us find a way inside?"

Vilixa let out a shaky sigh and nodded. "Yeah...there's an entrance on the far side of the city. But we'd better get going now, before the Heartless show up."

Donald and Goofy walked ahead, but Sora pulled Vilixa back so they couldn't eavesdrop. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, Sora. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

He frowned. "I can't do that. We're friends. And I know that Nobodies don't have hearts, but...how is it that you can cry?"

Vilixa shrugged her shoulders, feeling a bit defeated. "I don't know," she answered sincerely. "I guess...I'm a little more human than I thought I was."

Sora nodded and the two of them walked together and caught up with Donald and Goofy. Vilixa led them to a back alley that hung just below the Castle That Never Was with a dead end that seemed to teeter off into nothing. Mickey caught up with the group and looked up at the castle.

"There's gotta be a way inside," he thought aloud.

"Sora," Vilixa said, summoning her Keyblade. "Follow my lead."

Sora nodded and summoned his as well. They both held their Keyblades up in the direction of the castle, and a ray of light shot forth and hit the castle doors. There was another flash and a crystalline bridge formed before their eyes.

"Kairi," Sora said quietly, so that Vilixa could barely hear. "We're almost there."

"You've got to be careful here, Sora," Vilixa warned as she led them through the familiar hallways of the castle. "This is the Organization's stronghold. Just because you're the Keybearer doesn't mean they're going to take it easy on you."

"What about you?" he asked. "I mean, you used to be one of them. What's going to happen if you get caught?"

Vilixa smiled sadly. "I'll more than likely be eliminated...but don't worry about me. We're here to save Kairi. Just worry about yourself. Got it?"

Sora frowned, but nodded. "Alright."

"Come on," she said, motioning for them to follow. "This way."

Vilixa and Sora walked ahead of the group to a room with a wide rectangular platform. She knew that this was where some of the Organization members liked to practice using holo-missions. They had to be careful passing through in case any of the members were in the vicinity--it was a high traffic area.

"Sora...you've done well," a voice bellowed from above.

"Damn it," Vilixa hissed, freezing in place. She looked up and saw Saix standing on one of the high balconies that overlooked the platform.

Sora glared up at him. "Where's Kairi?"

"Who knows?" Saix smirked. "I expect she's catching up with her friend from the darkness."

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't need you anymore," he stated simply.

Sora growled. "I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Well, you don't have to," Saix sighed dramatically. "But believe this...Organization XIII has no further use for you...just look there." He pointed to the glass ceiling. "Our Kingdom Hearts...thanks to you, we've collected countless hearts. Can you hear their euphoria? Now, all they need is one more helping from the Keyblade bearer!"

With a wave of his hand, dark portals opened all along the walls and Heartless started pouring out. Everyone stood together back to back as the Heartless surrounded them.

"We've got to fight!" Donald exclaimed. Everyone summoned their weapons.

"But," Sora stuttered. "Kingdom Hearts--"

"Sora!" a female voice cried from the opposite side of the room, up in a different balcony than Saix's. Sora and Vilixa looked up. "Sora, it's really you!"

"Kairi!" Sora cried as the Heartless started pouncing on them.

"You leave Sora alone!" Vilixa heard Kairi cry. She looked up and saw Kairi jumping down to a lower balcony before disappearing.

"Saix, you're a coward!" Vilixa screamed, slashing the Heartless off of Sora's back.

He just let out a low laugh. "Don't worry," he said. "The Organization will finish you off. We don't take lightly to traitors."

"How many times have you said that?" she retorted. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

He scoffed. "We'll see for how much longer." Then he opened a portal and vanished.

Vilixa heard commotion from the other balcony. She looked over and saw Kairi battling with her own Keyblade next to a tall figure with long silver hair. She gasped and whispered, "Riku..."

Sora got to his feet and demanded, "What's going on?"

Suddenly laser bullets started raining down from above, nailing each of the Heartless and making them disappear. Vilixa looked up at where the bullets were coming from and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Xigbar..."

"Have you been a good boy?" he called from above.

"Show yourself!" Sora barked.

Xigbar revealed himself from the darkness of a portal and tutted. "Sounds to me like you haven't." He took another step forward and called, "Sora! Roxas!"

"Roxas?" Sora repeated. Turning to Donald, he asked, "Did he just call me Roxas?"

"Hey, squirt," Xigbar grinned over at Vilixa. "Haven't seen you in a while. "Defected, I see?"

"Shut up, old man," she hissed.

He laughed and shook his head. "You two have really put Organization XIII in a pickle. I guess that's why the Keyblade chose you. But man, did it pick a dud this time. You don't look like half the hero that the others were."

"Are you done rambling?" Sora demanded.

"Rambling?" Xigbar frowned. "As if! All I'm trying to tell you, traitor, is that your time is up!" He summoned his guns in his hands and leapt down from the balcony's ledge.

"Here he comes," Vilixa warned. "Don't underestimate him, Sora. There's a reason why he's Number II in the Organization."

Xigbar grinned in their direction. "So nice to know that you still respect your elders." He loaded up his Arrowguns and taunted, "Let's dance."

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**Sorry this one's so short. Awesome things happen soon.**

**Review please! Love love love.**


	26. Reunited

**I hope the fact that this update is longer will overshadow the fact that I haven't updated in forever. So sorry! I've been really busy with school and stuff. And it might be a little while until I get the opportunity to update again, but never fear! I still know what I'm doing. Yep.**

**My thank you's: NinjaSheik, Clarissa Avila, phantombullets240, celtic-roses, pandabearmusic, Amara Natsumi, Vanisha Tigerseye Stride, Catalyna Cullen, Lumen, Monkeychicklet23, Chocoboco, ArkAngel, RedQueen, and Cynderfrost Mistress of Evil. You're all amazing!**

**This one's the one most of you have been waiting for. Because you-know-who is BACK! Read on and REVIEW! :)**

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In an instant, Xigbar leapt back up to the high balcony and started sniping at Sora and Vilixa from above with his Arrowguns. Sora moved in front of Vilixa and deflected every laser bullet back at Xigbar's scope, until finally the small sound of glass shattering filled their ears.

"Clever little sneak," he grunted, teleporting himself down onto the battle ground.

He rained bullets down on all of them, Vilixa just barely managing to roll out of the way in time. She tried her best to use her Keyblade to block Xigbar's shots, but she knew that she was the weaker one compared to Sora--that meant he was going to go after her first.

Xigbar paused for a moment, drawing in energy as a blue-green light started forming around the tip of his guns. He let the shot go, a homing missile that was aimed straight for Vilixa. It came down on her and she somersaulted out of the way just in time.

But it wasn't over yet.

The shot just ricocheted off the ground and came back for her, chasing after her every time she managed to dodge it. Sora tried to help destroy the missile, but Xigbar started coming after him, leaving him unable to help her.

Vilixa's breathing was ragged and she fell to her knees. She braced herself for the impact of the missile, squeezing her eyes shut. But it never came.

When Vilixa opened her eyes again, she saw Goofy sprawled out in front of her with a huge burn mark across his back.

"Goofy!" she cried. "Are you okay?"

"Gawrsh," he groaned. "I think so." He tried to sit up, but immediately flopped back down again. She delicately uttered a Cure spell over Goofy before turning to face her former superior. Fury rose in Vilixa's eyes and she got to her feet with her Keyblade in hand.

"Sora!" she yelled out. He looked over at her and nodded. The two Keybearers leapt high over Xigbar's head, summoning energy into their weapons. Then in a flash, together they slashed at Xigbar a dozen times with their Keyblades glowing a furious red.

In seconds, Xigbar was down on his knees, unable to keep the air in his lungs.

Sora clenched his Keyblade, trying to even out the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins. "Why did you call me Roxas?" he demanded.

Xigbar let out a dry laugh as he started to fade into oblivion. "Wouldn't you like to know..."

As his body disappeared, Sora yelled out, "Hey, hold on!" It was too late. Xigbar was gone.

Donald tugged on Sora's arm. "Sora, it's Kairi!" he declared, pointing up at where she was fighting off the Heartless with a Keyblade that resembled a flower garden.

"Come on," Vilixa said, waving for the others to follow. "This way."

Vilixa rushed the others up the stairs to where she knew Kairi and Riku were. It didn't take long until the two of them stood before them, a bit worn out from battle, but still living and breathing as they all remembered.

"Kairi!" Donald called from behind. "You were great!"

"Oh?" she turned and beamed when she saw the entire group standing there. She laughed a little and flipped her hair over her shoulder. Sora walked over to her with a blush creeping up on his face.

"You are different, Kairi," he said. "But I'm just glad you're here!"

"None of you came home, so I came looking for you," she said softly.

He sighed indignantly. "I'm sorry." His apology was swiftly cut off by Kairi nearly pouncing on him, wrapping her arms around his torso in a tight hug. Vilixa watched from the back and smiled.

"This is real," she mumbled against his skin. Sora looked taken aback at first, but soon relaxed and hugged her back. Donald and Goofy high-fived each other and grinned.

From about eight feet away, Riku opened a portal and turned to walk inside. Vilixa immediately ran over to him and gripped onto his hand. Quiet enough so that only he could hear her, she whispered, "Please stop running away from him."

"Wait, Ansem!" Sora said, stopping Riku in his tracks. "I mean, Xehanort's Heartless...I never thought for a second I'd ever see you again. Just thinking about all the things you did makes me really mad. But...you saved Kairi, right? I have to be thankful for that. So...thanks."

"Riku, don't go!" Kairi called out, coming over to him as well.

Sora, Donald and Goofy all gasped, jumping back in surprise. "What?" Sora stuttered. "Kairi, what did you just say?"

She turned to Sora and repeated, "Riku."

"I'm no one," Riku grunted. "Just a castaway form the darkness."

Kairi looked back at where Sora stood there, slack-jawed. "Sora, come here. Say something to him."

He approached hesitantly, unsure of what to do. He glanced at Vilixa, and she gave him a small, reassuring smile. She and Kairi placed Sora's hand on top of Riku's.

"Close your eyes," Kairi said. "You'll understand."

Sora did as he was told, and so did everyone else. The four of them stood there together with their eyes closed, and in the darkness, they could all see Riku's true self. Vilixa bit back a smile as she looked up at Riku's sparkling aquamarine eyes.

They all opened their eyes again and Sora was at a loss for words. "It's Riku," he finally managed to say. "Riku's here..." He fell to the ground as tears started streaming down from his face. "I-I looked for you."

"C'mon, Sora. You've got to pull it together," Riku sighed, his old voice coming back.

He shook his head, the tears falling faster. "I looked everywhere for you!"

Riku just sighed. "I didn't want you to find me."

Sora frowned. "Huh?"

"But it was him that was helpin' us, wasn't it?" Goofy questioned.

"Yes," Vilixa answered. "Riku was the one who helped Sora wake up. He fought Roxas and lost...that's why he had to assume the body of Xehanort's Heartless."

Sora rose to his feet. "You knew about this the whole time, Vilixa?"

She bit her lip and nodded. "I'm sorry Sora," she lamented. "I don't blame you if you're mad at me."

He shook his head. "I...I can't be mad at you," he said finally. "All you were doing was keeping a promise to a friend. I can't get mad at you for that."

"I was starting to worry that you guys were never going to catch on," Riku mused. "Sora never did pick the brightest friends."

Vilixa cleared her throat. "You want to retract part of that statement?"

He nudged her playfully. "No."

"What do you mean by that?" Donald quacked, clearly insulted by Riku's joke.

"Donald," Vilixa sighed. "You're only proving his point."

"Why didn't you let me know that you were okay?" Sora pressed.

Riku tensed. "I told you...I didn't want to be found. Not like this...I couldn't. I fought with Ansem. With...Xehanort's Heartless--and it invaded my heart, and I won. But to use the power of darkness, I had to become Ansem myself."

"Does that mean you can't change back?" Kairi asked fretfully.

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "This battle isn't over. And until it is, I still need the power of darkness."

"Well then, let's finish it," Sora concluded. "You're still Riku. No matter what." He turned to the others. "So, how 'bout it? Think we can handle one last rumble together? The King's waiting!"

"Yeah, let's get going!" Donald agreed.

Sora and Riku walked ahead together with Donald and Goofy. Vilixa stayed back a little bit with Kairi. She glanced over at her and noticed how carefully she was studying her face.

"Is something the matter?" Vilixa asked uncomfortably.

"You look different, Liv," Kairi responded. "Your hair...it's redder."

"I'm not--" Vilixa stopped herself, sighing aloud. "It's complicated. I'm not the Livia you remember from your past."

"You're not?" she asked, confused. "Then...who are you?"

"My name's Vilixa now," she said quietly. "I'm a Nobody."

Kairi gasped. "You mean...you're one of them?"

"Yes and no," she stated uncomfortably. "I gave up my heart to save Sora from Ansem when he took over Riku's body. And when I was nothing but a lifeless puppet, the Organization took me in. I was one of them...collecting hearts for their ultimate project, following orders as best as I could. But then one day, Riku found me again."

Kairi smiled, urging for her to continue.

Vilixa took in a deep breath and carried on. "He saved me from the Organization. I'm my own person now--at least, I'm as much of a person as I can be without a heart. But the Organization isn't all bad. I had friends, and I lost them all. Even though Nobodies aren't supposed to be able to feel, I still remember how it used to be."

Kairi patted Vilixa on the shoulder. "Well," she grinned, "no matter what, you're still my family. Cousins 'til the end."

Vilixa let out a small laugh. "I guess it couldn't be more true," she chuckled. "I've been to the end and back, and we're still standing here."

They kept walking, the boys still ahead of them by about five to seven feet. Then Vilixa felt the urge to speak.

"I wish I could have what you and Sora have."

"What?" Kairi blushed. "What are you talking about?"

Vilixa smiled to herself. "You know...love."

Kairi's face now matched the colour of her hair. "Is it really that noticeable?"

"I'm a being that exists even though I shouldn't," she replied. "My entire existence up until I met Sora was to get hearts for the Organization so that I could feel again. And even though I cared for my friends and Riku, I can't love them. I want to, and I remember what it's like, but without a heart, there's only so much pretending that I can do."

"We'll find a way to get your heart back," Kairi said firmly. "That's a promise."

"I believe you," Vilixa responded. "After all, you are a Princess of Heart."

The group neared another balcony where they could see Kingdom Hearts in the sky. A beam of light was hitting the heart-shaped moon, seeming to be sucking hearts from it.

"What's what?" Sora asked.

"It's the King and DiZ--I mean, Ansem the Wise," Riku corrected himself. "They must be higher up. We'd better hurry."

The group took a few steps forward, but then a portal opened, separating Sora from everyone else. Luxord emerged from the darkness, that same smug grin that Vilixa remembered so well dancing on his face.

"Sora, be careful!" Vilixa shouted out as huge cards popped up from the ground and started circling them. It didn't take long for Sora to become shielded from view, and then for the darkness to overtake them completely.

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**Review please! Riku's back now :)**


	27. The Truth

**So, I know that it's been nearly a month since my last update, but in all honesty, the number of reviews I got for chapter 26 was really disappointing. I only got eight, and my average is usually around fourteen. So there are a lot of people who are reading and not sending in feedback. I know that the time between updates has gotten substantially longer, but now that school is almost over for the year, I'll have more time to finish this story (which has about three parts left, I think).**

**My thank you's for the last chapter: phantombullets240, Hidden Fairy Tale, pandabearmusic, celtic-roses, NinjaSheik, AoZ, animechick247 and Nerxie.**

**I'm hoping to get a minimum of 10 reviews before I post the next update. And I already have it half finished.**

**So let's get those reviews in as soon as possible!**

**_I promise you, you're not going to want to miss the next chapter!_  
**

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Vilixa could barely blink before the darkness suddenly disappeared. She looked around frantically and found peace once she saw that Sora was alright. She heaved a sigh of relief.

"Come on," she said, motioning to a different door. "We can reach them this way."

Since Vilixa was the only one who really knew where she was going, she led the group through the castle's gray halls. They made their way to a large room with a clear glass window that towered up a high ceiling, the enormous Kingdom Hearts shining like a beacon before their eyes.

Kairi walked up to her, trying to make conversation. "Do you think things can ever go back to the way they were?"

Vilixa looked surprised. "What do you mean?"

"I wish things could just...go back to normal," she lamented. "Like before all of the worlds were connected. I just wish that we could go back to being kids on our island again, not having a care in the world."

Vilixa bit her lip. "My Other...what was she like?"

"Your 'Other'?" Kairi repeated.

"You know," she urged. "Who I was when I had my heart."

"Oh," Kairi chuckled, finally understanding. "Your other was probably the most generous person I've ever known. Always putting others before herself, trying her best to stay positive, even if things seemed impossible...kind of like how you are now."

Vilixa sent Kairi a soft smile. "So maybe, when I get my heart back, things won't be so different."

"I hope so," Kairi nodded.

Then, from the corner of her eye, Vilixa spotted a familiar blue-haired figure. "Saix," she growled underneath her breath.

At the mention of his name, Saix turned with a smirk, looking directly at Sora. "Only you could have made it this far in one piece...Roxas."

"That's really getting old!" Sora seethed.

"Yeah!" Donald agreed. "He's Sora!"

Saix just grunted in reply and held out his claymore, spikes jutting out from all sides. "Different name, same fate."

"Sora, stand back," Vilixa commanded, wielding her Keyblade, her eyes locked on Saix. "I've got this one."

"What?" he declared. "You can't be serious! He'll kill you!"

Riku tried to hold her back. "He's right. You can't do this on your own."

Vilixa turned and faced both of them in fury. "He's responsible for taking everything away from me," she barked. "My freedom, my friends..."

"Axel's demise was no one's fault but his own," Saix said smugly. "He knew the consequences of crossing the Organization. As will you...you've been hanging around far too long for our liking. It's time we finally finished you off once and for all."

"Do your worst," she challenged.

Saix grinned and started levitating in the air. "Moon, shine down," he declared, gathering energy from the moon's light. His eyes were set ablaze as he started slashing away at Vilixa with his glowing claymore. She blocked his hits and dodged his attacks as the others stood by helplessly.

"We have to do something!" Kairi cried.

"We can't," Riku said, his voice laced with worry. "This is her battle."

Kairi looked on with wide eyes. "Sora, please, do something!"

"You heard Riku," he mumbled. "We...can't."

"He'll kill her!" she gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "I can't look..."

As Saix tried to catch his breath, Vilixa took that as her opportunity to strike. She closed her eyes and summoned her energy, surrounding herself in a ring of white light.

"No..." Saix muttered, shocked. "It can't be..."

Vilixa opened her eyes again and locked them on Saix, and used her Keyblade to strike him from all angles. His tormented screams echoed throughout the room as Vilixa flew past in a white blur.

Soon, it was all over.

Saix dropped his claymore and staggered over to the window, clutching his chest where his heart would have been. "Why..." he panted, reaching out to the heart-shaped moon. "Kingdom Hearts...where is my heart?"

With that, he disappeared.

Vilixa returned to her normal state, but felt drained. She collapsed to the ground, her eyes drooping shut. Riku ran over to her and helped her sit up. "Are you alright?" he asked. She coughed a few times, but weakly nodded.

"I think so." She looked down at her leg and cursed. "Looks like he got me."

Riku's eyes wandered down to where Vilixa's were staring and saw a huge gash along the side of her right calf. "You'll be okay," he whispered, mumbling a Cure spell over her. The wound closed up and the bleeding stopped, but when Vilixa tried to stand, she still couldn't put much pressure on her leg.

"I'm fine," she said, limping slightly. "Don't worry about me."

Sora stared at the spot where Saix once was. "I don't get it. Why's everybody been calling me Roxas?"

Riku turned to him and said, "Because, Sora. Roxas is your Nobody."

"My...Nobody?" he exclaimed. "But that's crazy! I never turned into a Heart-" he paused. "Oh...right."

"It was when you came to rescue me, remember?" Kairi chimed in.

"Xemnas was the one who found Roxas," Riku added. "He could use the Keyblade because he was your Nobody. That's why Xemnas brought him into the Organization." He folded his arms over his chest. "But Roxas betrayed them. After that, I fought him because I thought it would help you wake up. I lost. But the next time we met, I made sure I was the stronger one. Maybe I didn't need to fight him at all. I think he left the Organization because...he really wanted to meet you."

"Roxas..." Sora repeated. "I wish I could meet him too."

Riku just silently pointed at Sora's heart. Sora brought a hand up to his chest solemnly, looking really upset. Vilixa sighed.

"If it helps you any," she spoke up, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Roxas was my best friend when Xemnas brought me into the Organization. And he was a great person...just like you."

"Xemnas wanted two Keybearers to collect double the amount of hearts for their little project," Riku clarified after Sora looked slightly confused. "When Livia sacrificed herself to try and save me, she turned into a Nobody. Unlike you, her Heartless was destroyed, leaving only her shell behind. Xemnas found her just like he did Roxas."

"Even when I was a part of the Organization, I never collected any hearts for them," Vilixa said quietly. "I didn't understand the point in fighting."

"You've sort of turned the other cheek, haven't you?" Kairi mused.

Vilixa felt her cheeks redden. "I guess so. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my friends." She summoned her Keyblade, looking down at the crashing wave at the end of it. "It was never meant for destruction. My Keyblade has the ability to unlock people's memories. I used it on Roxas to unlock a piece of you."

Sora glanced at her. "Did it work?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "Everything sort of worked out in its own strange little way in the end."

"Come on," Riku said, starting to walk away. "Let's go."

They followed him back to the Proof of Existence, every gravestone now glowing red except for one. Number XIII. Vilixa looked solemnly at where Axel's was, but shook the thoughts from her head. He was gone, but his memory was still alive inside of her.

They walked up the set of stairs until they were finally outside, King Mickey and Ansem the Wise finally coming into view.

"Your majesty!" Sora called, running towards them.

"Sora, the rest is up to you," Ansem said. "And Roxas, I doubt you can hear me, but I am sorry."

"Ansem!" Mickey cried.

"My heart is telling me what to do!" Ansem declared. "Please let me do what it says!"

"No!" Mickey yelped, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned. "Riku!"

"His heart's decided," he said. "We can't change that."

Vilixa looked on in shock, unsure of what to do. Finally, she turned to Mickey and said, "You have to protect Sora and the others. They're the ones who have something to live for."

"We all have something to live for!" Mickey protested. "I can't let it end this way!"

"You have to," she insisted. "Just...please, your majesty. You have to understand."

"What are you going to do?" he demanded.

Vilixa smiled, though her expression was sad. "Whatever it takes."

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**The really good stuff happens in the next chapter, I promise!**

**At least 10 reviews for chapter 28!  
**


	28. Vilixa

**You guys were so great with the reviews that I had to post this as quickly as I could! Not bad this time, only twelve days. Last time I was so busy it took me a month! Crazy, right?**

**Anyway, exams are nearly over. I have one left on Friday and then I'm done high school. Which means I'll be able to finally finish this story. I think I'm going to end it at chapter 30. That's my goal. And also, just a heads up, my last two updates are probably going to be shorter ones. I think you might understand why once you're done reading this chapter.**

**Thank you's today go out to: CHIBI-CRAZY, phantombullets240, pandabearmusic, ccsakura21, Heart-of-Fate, AoZ, celtic-roses, Kingdomheartsgirl123, Echoillith, Hidden Fairy Tale, sakurapedals, Amara Natsumi, WarriorFan523, animechick247, TeamHalo13, Clarissa Avila, and betty.**

**Keep reviewing while you still can! I think this chapter's gonna give you a lot to say.**

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Suddenly Vilixa heard a portal opening from behind Ansem the Wise and saw Xemnas emerge from the darkness. "I was wondering who would dare interfere with my Kingdom Hearts," he said calmly. "And look...here you all are. How convenient for me." He turned to Ansem. "Ansem the Wise...you look pathetic."

"I deserve as much for failing to see you for the fool you are," he retorted.

"Students do take after their teachers. Only a fool would be your apprentice. After all, none of this would have happened if it weren't for you. You are the source of all Heartless. It was your research that inspired me to go further than you ever dared."

"I admit my disregard brought chaos to more worlds than one. But what were you seeking? You erased me from the world only to take my name and continue research that was better off forgotten," Ansem the Wise sneered. "Is this the answer you've been looking for?"

"All that and more," Xemnas responded. "I'm carrying on what you yourself began, and I'm creating a brand new world, one heart at a time. I thought you'd praise me, but all you ever do is hold me back." He frowned deeply. "I understand, though. Unlike me, you have a heart. And you're powerless to control it. Consumed, by the jealousy you feel toward the student who surpassed you."

"Xehanort," Ansem scoffed. "Foolish apprentice of a foolish man. You have surpassed nothing. Only proved how little we both know. We may profess to know the heart, but its essence is beyond our reach. We're both ignorant. As oblivious as when we began. I'm afraid that any world you would try to create-any world of yours-would be an empire of ignorance. That is why you and your creation are destined to fall."

Vilixa eyed the machine that Ansem the Wise was using to disassemble Kingdom Hearts. It was shaking on its stand, and Ansem was using all of his strength to keep it stationary. It couldn't take much more.

"We've said enough!" Ansem declared. Turning to Riku, he said, "Riku, you know what to do." Then, to the King, he bowed his head. "King Mickey my friend, forgive me." He turned to Kingdom Hearts, his eyes narrowed nearly into slits. Finally, with his last breath, he called out, "Farewell!"

The machine burst from the center where the hearts were being stored into data. They burst out from every inch, consuming the entire platform in light. Riku turned away from the contraption and stretched his arms out, shielding almost everyone.

Vilixa turned and held Mickey back. While everyone shielded their eyes, she focused hers on the light that shone before her. One second, she could see the World that Never Was, and the next, she felt warm. As if she was floating on a cloud.

As hearts fell from the sky, Dusks below held out their slender white claws and groped at them, attempting to be reunited with what had once made them whole. As the hearts fell to the ground, darkness sprung from them, creating hoards of Heartless that swarmed the castle grounds.

Soon, the light died. Sora picked himself off of the ground and looked around to make sure that everyone else was alright. His eyes widened when he saw the silver-haired boy face down on the ground.

He ran over to him. "Riku!"

Riku let out a groan and propped himself up against his elbows, then sat up on his knees. Sora sighed in relief.

As Riku was getting up, Mickey said, "Ansem did say anything could happen."

"Sora...Riku..." Kairi's voice came from a small ways away. They both turned and gasped, rushing over to where she was.

Sora felt his heart grow heavy. "Oh, no..."

Vilixa laid on the ground motionless, her body slowly fading away.

"No!" Riku cried. "No, I can't lose her again!"

He fell to his knees and held her in his arms. She managed to crack her eyes open just slightly.

"Riku..." she mumbled, forcing herself to smile. "Nice to see you again."

"Why is this happening?" he demanded, more to himself than anyone else.

"It's okay," Vilixa breathed. "It doesn't hurt."

Riku shook his head. "I can't do this again. I won't lose you."

"And you never will," she replied, lifting her hand shakily and placing it over his heart. "I'll be right here." Her hand fell to her side, and her eyes threatened to close. "Can I ask you a favour, Riku?"

"Anything."

She smiled. "Could you...take off your blindfold? I want to see your eyes one last time."

Riku nodded solemnly and raised his hand, pulling the black cloth from his eyes. He blinked a few times to readjust to the brightness. That's when he noticed that Vilixa's body wasn't fading into the darkness like the other Nobodies had. She was fading into light.

"Thank you," she whispered before her eyes shut. "Goodbye, Riku. I love you."

Riku felt a tear roll down his cheek as the light slowly consumed her until nothing remained. He sat there in disbelief, cradling the air where she once laid. He had lost her again.

Sora crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Riku. We need to end this. For her sake."

Riku hastily wiped the tear away from his eye, not wanting to look weak in front of Sora. He rose to his feet and glared at Kingdom Hearts.

"We have to defeat Xemnas," he stated. "He's the Organization's last survivor."

"Right," Sora agreed.

Riku shed the black cloak that he was wearing as a disguise, readjusting his usual attire as he started to walk away. "Come on."

The group ran into a hall that had several floating platforms, seemingly connected by crystallized bridges. Heartless poured out from the walls and started squirming their way towards them. There must have been thousands. Riku growled.

"There's gonna be no end to this!"

Sora looked at Riku and said, "Together we can take them."

Riku gave an approving nod in response.

As the two moved to begin their fight, a wisp of smoke stopped them in their tracks. Maleficent and Pete appeared before them, Maleficent looking dangerously determined and Pete looking disoriented.

"Be gone from here!" she commanded. "Leave these creatures to us!"

"But there's no way we can take them all!" Pete protested.

"I will be sending them after Xemnas," Maleficent replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Or would you rather fight them yourself?"

Pete looked for a moment like he was in deep thought. Then he squealed, "Frankly, my dear...I'd rather run!"

"Off with you, then," Maleficent grunted.

Pete turned to leave and came face-to-face with Mickey. Looking down at him, he hollered, "Well, well, if it ain't the boat boy King!"

"Time to weigh anchor, Captain Pete!" Mickey declared.

Pete scoffed. "What, like 'abandon ship'? I don't think so!"

Maleficent eyed Sora and the others. "Sora. 'Your Majesty'," she added almost sarcastically in Mickey's direction. "Do not forget. When I've destroyed them all, this castle shall be mine!"

Pete pointed a finger at Mickey. "Now, lookie here. Opportunities like this don't come along every day, ya know." Pete ran next to Maleficent, his face scowling into a frown as he faced his throng of enemies. "Bring 'em on!"

As they ran to face the Heartless, Mickey announced, "We gotta hurry."

Sora protested. "But-"

"They're doing as their hearts command," Mickey reminded, cutting him off. "We can't interfere."

Sora finally agreed and followed the King and the others out of the room.

After a while, they made their way up a long flight of stairs up to the Altar of Naught. They saw Xemnas standing there before a destroyed Kingdom Hearts, his arms outstretched towards it.

"Oh...my Kingdom Hearts...ruined," he muttered. "Now I'll have to start all over again." He turned to Sora, Riku and Mickey. "Warriors of the Keyblade," he commanded. "Go forth and bring me more hearts!"

They all summoned their Keyblades, pointing them at Xemnas. "No!"

"Denizens of light, answer this," Xemnas inquired. "Why do you hate the darkness?"

"Aw, we don't hate it," Mickey answered. "It's just kinda...scary. But the world's made up of light and darkness. You can't have one without the other, 'cause darkness is half of everything. Sort of makes ya wonder why we're scared of the dark."

Riku spoke up. "It's because of who's lurking inside it."

"Then allow me another question," Xemnas mused. "You accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why is it that you loathe us who teeter on the edge of nothing? We who were turned away by both light and dark-never given a choice?"

"That's simple," Riku countered. "It's because you mess up our worlds."

"Oh, we do?" Xemnas smirked. "Just as Vilixa 'messed up' yours?"

Riku's expression darkened. "Don't you dare mention her name."

"It seems that you've forgotten that she was one of us," Xemnas continued. "Born from nothing, able to feel nothing. And finally, consumed by nothing and returned to nothing. She was just another puppet, destined to return to the oblivion from whence she came."

"She wasn't like any of you!" Riku growled, clutching his Keyblade tighter in his hand. "She'll never be gone. Not as long as her memory stays alive in our hearts."

"That may be," Xemnas continued. "But as much as you care to deny it, Vilixa was part of the Organization. A Nobody. Not even meant to exist. The thought of it almost moves me to tears."

"Give it a rest!" Sora shot. "You're not sad about anything!"

Xemnas laughed slowly, his chest rumbling as he tilted his head back in what looked like amusement. "Very good. You don't miss a thing. I cannot feel...sorrow. No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think, what you feel, or how you exist..."

He raised his arms up and beams of energy shot up from the ground, encircling the entire Altar of Naught. Riku shielded his eyes as the light became blinding. When he blinked again, the light was gone and so were Sora and Xemnas.

"Sora!" Kairi cried out. "Riku, what happened to him? Where did he go?"

"I don't know," he said darkly. "All we can do is hope for the best."

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**Aha...don't hurt me...**

**Review please :3**


	29. Xemnas

**SO sorry for updating this so late! I actually had it half finished and the abandoned it for some unknown reason. But the end is near! AKA the NEXT CHAPTER! Also, sorry this one's a little short. I don't know if I'm going to be going into too much depth for the million boss battles against Xemnas. Either way, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Thank you to all my reviewers! FallenAngelx3, kiki, ChildofStorms, TheKeeperofKingdomHearts1, Kaelyn the Hedgehog, phantombullets240, CRAZY-CHIBI, NinjaSheik, Darkflame Alchemist, ccsakura21, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, pandabearmusic, Clarissa Avila, Hidden Fairy Tale, teamhalo13, KirakiraUchicha, Catalyna Cullen, xXFallenSakuraXx52, SarahELupin, khlover91, and stifledcreativity.**

**Keep reviewing! I'll try to get the ending out as soon as possible!**

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It wasn't long until Riku heard a loud _thud_ coming from behind. He turned and saw Sora literally fall from thin air, landing hard on his stomach as he tried to rise to his feet. Sora finally managed to do so as everyone rushed over. King Mickey heaved a sigh of relief.

"You're okay!"

Immediately, Sora demanded, "Where's Xemnas?"

Donald looked around and then let out a loud squawk. Everyone followed his gaze and gasped as they saw Xemnas hovering in the air at the center of the now ruined Kingdom Hearts.

With his arms outstretched, he called out to the night sky, "Hear me, Kingdom Hearts. It seems we must begin anew. Ah, but know this: I will give to you as many hearts as it takes. Mark my words. You can no more be complete without me than I without you. Heed me, Kingdom Hearts! Lend me your power so that you may be complete! The power to erase the fools that hinder us!"

Mickey cried out, "Xemnas, no!"

He continued on. "Hearts filled with hatred..."

"Xemnas, don't!" Sora bellowed.

Small orbs of energy circled around Xemnas' figure as he ignored their cries. "Hearts burning with rage..."

Donald hollered, "You'll never win!"

Xemnas' face darkened. "Hearts scarred by envy...that fool Ansem said the heart's true nature was beyond his understanding. But it is not beyond mine! Hearts are the source of all power!"

A blinding white light pierced through the darkness. Riku covered his eyes with his hands, Sora and Kairi doing the same. It didn't take long for the light to fade. When it was gone, so was Xemnas.

"Xemnas, you can't hide from us!" Sora growled.

Mickey turned to the others. "We're not gonna let him get away now!"

Kairi gasped. She turned and pointed as something formulated before her very eyes. "Look at that!"

It was a door.

The group walked towards it. Goofy asked, "What's going on?"

"Kingdom Hearts," Mickey mumbled.

"Let's go," Riku commanded. "Xemnas must be inside."

"The worlds gave us this doorway," Mickey explained. "They want us to be the guardians of their destiny."

"Once we go through, there's no turning back," Riku muttered. "It's either victory...or oblivion." He turned to Sora with a small grin. "So, Sora...are you ready?"

Sora gave a nod. He, Riku and Mickey held their Keyblades together and pointed them at the door. Three beams of light shot through and the door slowly opened.

"Get ready, Xemnas," Sora called. "It all ends here!"

Everyone passed through the huge gaping doors and gasped at what they saw inside. Buildings were in ruins with what looked like white glowing veins running through each surface. Xemnas hovered above, scowling down at them.

"So...it seems your hearts have led you to obliteration," he mused. "Perhaps it doesn't pay to be too loyal to one's heart. I will have to be sure and remember that." He waved his arm in the air and the buildings that were still standing started to collapse. Everyone turned on their heels and ran for the door. The ground shook and they all dove for the exit, but only Mickey and Kairi made it through.

"No!" Riku cried, reaching out as the door closed shut. He rose to his feet, as did Sora, Donald and Goofy.

"We can take him on our own!" Sora reassured him. He clutched his Keyblade and ran off in Xemnas' direction. They cut through the falling buildings using their Keyblades while dodging aerial attacks. As pieces of buildings fell from the sky, Sora and Riku managed to leap onto them and onto Xemnas' ship with Donald and Goofy close behind.

They reached a platform with what looked almost like a throne perched at the back end. Xemnas was decked in full armor, waiting for them to attack. Riku struck first, trying to attack him from the side. Xemnas harnessed the powers from his fallen Organization members to ward him and Sora off.

Still, he was no match for the two of them. Together they used their weapons to disable him and slash away at the armor he was donning. It wasn't before long that they were consumed again by light and found themselves on the Alter of Naught, rejoined with King Mickey and Kairi as Xemnas clutched his chest before them.

"I need...more rage...I need more...hearts..."

"Xemnas, there's more to a heart than just anger or hate," Sora tried to explain. "It's full of all kinds of feelings. Don't you remember?"

"Unfortunately..." he growled, as he started to disappear. "I don't."

Then he was gone.

Everyone cheered and high-fived each other as Mickey declared, "Gosh! You all did great!" Riku looked on at everyone in jubilation and heaved a heavy sigh. He furrowed his brow, then turned on his heel and started to walk to the edge of the platform.

Sora eyed him and ran over to where he was. "You're coming back with us, right?"

"I had given in to the darkness."

"Riku!"

Clenching his fists, he growled, "How am I gonna face everyone?"

"Like this," Sora grinned, squishing his cheeks with the palms of his hands and making strange comical noises. Riku managed to laugh a few times. Everyone stopped though when they felt the ground shake beneath them. Riku perked up, alert.

"Hurry!" Mickey declared.

He nodded. "I'll open a path." He held out his hand, but no portal appeared. "H-Huh?"

Mickey smiled. "You don't belong to the dark realm anymore, Riku."

Donald turned to Mickey. "How do we get out of here, Your Majesty?" Mickey shrugged, unsure.

Kairi spied what looked like the ghost of a girl from the corner of her eye. A familiar face smiled at her before turning and holding out her hand. A dark portal opened and she disappeared.

"Who did this?" Donald asked, examining it carefully.

"I don't know," came the King's truthful reply "But we'd better hurry and get through." Out of nowhere, a dog's barking was heard. Pluto came out of nowhere and bounded into the portal.

"Wait for me!" Goofy cried, running in as well. Mickey followed close behind.

Donald turned to the others and quacked, "Come on!" Then he ran to follow Goofy, Pluto and the King.

When Donald disappeared, the girl came back. Kairi smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Naminé."

She nodded. "Sure." Then she looked over at Sora. "See? We meet again, like we promised."

Sora was confused. "Huh?"

A voice inside Sora's head came to the forefront. "You said we'd meet again," it said. It was a boy's voice. It sounded familiar. "But when we did, we might not recognize each other." The boy stepped forward, seeming to peel himself from Sora's body. At that moment, Sora knew. It was Roxas. He looked at Naminé and said, almost in a soft whisper, "But I knew you."

"Mmm," she nodded. "It's strange."

"I think I understand," Roxas continued. "I see myself the way you remember me. And you see yourself the way I remember you."

"I always thought Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness…" Naminé mumbled.

"Yeah," he agreed. "But you and I didn't. We got to meet our original selves."

"So, we can be together again!"

"Yeah," Roxas nodded. "Anytime Sora and Kairi are together."

Kairi smiled. "We'll be together every day, right Sora?"

He blushed furiously and turned to her. "Uh…yeah!"

Kairi extended her hand out to Naminé. She took it and in a flash of golden light, Naminé disappeared. Sora stared, wide-eyed.

"Look sharp," Roxas quipped, snapping Sora's attention back to him. Sora nodded. Roxas closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the ceiling. Blue light washed over them and then Roxas was gone. Sora stared at his hands in shock.

"Don't worry," Riku mused. "You're all still you."

Kairi walked to the portal and looked back at the two boys. Sora smiled. "Riku…c'mon." They made their way towards the portal, but before they could set foot into it, it vanished. "Huh?" Sora gasped as he and Riku ran to where the portal once was.

Riku glared out at the pitch-black sky. He and Sora ran to the ledge and looked out to see a giant metal dragon flying towards them.

"Xemnas," Riku growled underneath his breath. "This is far from over."

The dragon rammed against the Alter of Naught and it started to collapse. The floor was tilting and Riku and Sora were sliding down. Riku caught a glimpse of a glider and quickly got to his feet and ran towards it. He jumped on and flew over. "Sora!"

Sora leapt down and landed on the glider's extension and Riku maneuvered it towards Xemnas' creation. "Let's do this!"

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**Next one's the end :)**

**Review please!**


	30. The End

**Okay, this is the end! For real. Thank you to EVERYONE who read not only this story, but Dearly Beloved and In Fate's Hands as well. Completely overwhelmed by the number of readers and reviews I've gotten since I've started writing here. I hope you enjoy the end! **

**My thank you's: FallenAngelx3, KaelyntheHedgehog-Silverpelt14, ccsakura21, NinjaSheik, phantombullets240, pandabearmusic, stifledcreativity, Hidden Fairy Tale, teamhalo13, celtic-roses, Catalyna Cullen and AoZ. You guys rule.**

**Review one last time!**

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It took a long time, but Riku and Sora had finally defeated the giant mechanical dragon. It collapsed into the void and disappeared. There was a flash of light and the duo found themselves in what looked to be a giant, empty space with swirling portal of grey and white coming from every direction.

Xemnas stood before them, his cloak having changed colours from pure black to black and white.

"Heroes from the realm of light," he began. "I will not allow it to end this way-not yet. If light and darkness are eternal, then surely we Nothings must be the same. Eternal."

"You're right. Light and darkness are eternal. Nothing probably goes on forever too," Riku countered. "But guess what, Xemnas."

Sora glowered. "That doesn't mean you're eternal!"

Xemnas let out a low chuckle. "No more eternal than that radiance of yours."

Sora and Riku poised themselves for battle. Xemnas rushed at them in a flash, tangling them up in black vines that shot at them from every angle. The pair had to do their best just to dodge them while Xemnas rained attacks from the sides.

Riku clenched his teeth as Xemnas struck him from behind and he fell to the ground. He could faintly hear the sound of Sora fighting him off with his Keyblade and forced himself to his feet. He ran back into battle and he and Sora slashed away with their weapons.

Xemnas smirked and suddenly grabbed Sora by the collar and threw him up in the air. With one hand, he used his powers to hold Sora in an orb of darkness, slowly draining the life from his body. With his other hand, he sent Riku flying into the distance.

"Sora!" Riku yelled as he got back up. He ran to his friend, but Xemnas copied himself and his clone was blocking Riku's path. He fought it off, throwing his powerful magic spells at it until he finally got to where Xemnas was. He struck him with the Keyblade and freed Sora, casting a Cure spell over him once his feet landed back on the ground.

Soon, Xemnas eclipsed them in darkness. Riku's eyes darted around, as did Sora's. They were completely surrounded by a dome of laser bullets, all poised to be set off.

Xemnas' voice boomed, "Fire!"

Sora and Riku twirled their Keyblades in their hands, blocking as many shots as they could. After a while, the number of bullets diminished and they were back in the grey area once again.

They were both down on their knees. Riku looked up, only have Xemnas' laser sword knock him backwards.

"Riku!"

Xemnas held the sword by Sora's neck. Sora glared up at him, as if daring him to make his strike. Riku got up quickly and dove into Xemnas' lane and blocked the blow. He pushed Sora aside as Xemnas made a counterstrike, hitting him directly in the back. Sora sprang up and grabbed the Keyblade from Riku's outstretched hand.

He flew at Xemnas and started barreling attacks onto him, slicing away with both of the Keyblades in his hands. Xemnas let out a strangled cry as Sora administered the final blow.

Riku got to his feet as Xemnas clutched his chest where his heart would have been. He reached his arm out as his hand formed a mangled claw and he slowly disappeared into oblivion.

"We did it!" Sora declared.

Riku looked around as Dusks started to appear out of nowhere. "I wouldn't be too sure of that."

The Dusks circled them. There must have been at least a thousand. Sora got ready to battle, but there was a sudden flash of light and when his eyes readjusted, they all disappeared one by one and Riku had fallen to his knees. Sora knelt down as Riku used his hands to support himself from collapsing onto the ground.

"Sora…I can't…"

"Don't say another word," Sora ordered. "It's not over. It's just not."

He helped him to his feet and Riku let out a grunt. "How can you say that? Even if we could go on…look at where we are."

Sora smiled. "Aw, c'mon, Riku. You've been hanging out in darkness too long. You gotta try and think positive."

Riku felt himself smile too. "Sora?"

"Hm?"

"You lead."

They walked on for a bit, Sora supporting Riku so he wouldn't fall. Sora looked up and something nearly blinded him.

"You know," Riku began. "I always figured I was better at stuff than you."

Sora grinned. "I always figured you were better at stuff than me, too." The two of them shared a chuckle and kept walking. Suddenly, Sora said, "Riku-look. What's that light?"

Riku stared forward, not speaking. The two of them just walked toward it and hoped that there was something better on the other side.

When they walked through, they saw a dark beach. Trees that had been mangled by the wind stretched across to meet each other, forming a sort of arch that framed the full moon.

"End of the road?" Riku questioned.

Sora gave a nod. "Yeah."

Riku looked at him. "Put me down. I can walk." Sora nodded and slowly let go. Riku wavered slightly, but gave a nonchalant shrug. Sora smiled and walked closer to the shoreline.

"You know, maybe the darkness has gotten to me too," he said quietly as the calm waves lapped by his feet. He heard a collapse and turned to see Riku facedown on the ground. "Riku!" he yelled out, rushing over to help his fallen friend.

Riku slowly pressed himself off the ground and stared at the sand. "This world is perfect for me. If this is what the world really is, just this, then maybe I should fade back into darkness."

"Riku…"

He kept going. "If the world is made of light and darkness, we'll be the darkness."

Sora sat back. "Yeah. The other side. The realm of light is safe now. Kairi, the King, the others are safe now."

Riku gave a sad smile, thinking back to the one person that could exist in neither realm that he missed so much. Turning to Sora, he asked, "Could you help me? I want to get down to the water." Sora nodded and helped Riku to his feet. He led him closer to the shore, and he said in almost a whisper, "At least the waves sound the same."

The two of them sat by the water's edge, staring out into the full moon that almost dipped into the ocean.

"What I said back there…" Riku started, "about thinking I was better at stuff than you…to tell you the truth, Sora, I was jealous of you."

"What for?"

"I wished I could live life the way you do. Just…following your heart."

Sora shrugged. "Yeah, well, I've got my share of troubles, too."

"Like what?"

"Like wanting to be like you."

Riku let out a small laugh. "Well, there is one advantage to being me. Something you could never imitate."

Sora looked at him. "Really? What's that?"

He smiled. "Having you for a friend."

Sora grinned. "Then I guess I'm happy the way I am." The two of them kept looking out to the horizon. "I've got something you could never imitate, too."

They sat there for a long time, eyes closed, just listening to the sound of the waves and taking in the scent of the ocean. Everything reminded them of home, but they were contented to know that at least their friends were safe. Then something hit Riku's foot. He looked down and saw a message in a bottle. He plucked it from the water and took out the note, reading just a bit of it. He then tapped Sora on the shoulder and said, "I think it's for you."

Sora look the note and read it aloud. "Thinking of you wherever you are. We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish. And who knows? Starting a new journey may not be so hard. Or maybe it's already begun. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One sky, one destiny." As the last line of the letter rang out, light washed over the beach.

"Light," Riku said.

"The door to light." Sora rose to his feet and held his hand out to his friend. "We'll go together."

Riku nodded. "Yeah." And together they took their first steps to a new world.

Riku felt like he was falling. Like he was plummeting through the sky, his long silver hair whipping in front of his face. Then suddenly he felt water all around him. He broke to the surface and gasped for air, seeing Sora doing the same. Then they heard a voice.

"Sora! Riku!"

They both whipped around and saw Kairi standing by the shore of Destiny Island. She waved to them, beckoning for them to come. Sora let out a laugh and he and Riku swam to where she was. When the water got to about waist-deep, Sora couldn't help the excitement that bubbled beneath him. He ran the rest of the way to the shore. He was nearly where Kairi was when he heard familiar voices calling from behind.

Soon he was tackled to the ground by a familiar duck and dog, hugging the life out of him. Sora couldn't help but laugh as Donald and Goofy embraced him. Mickey ran to Riku and he picked him up, giving him a hug as well. Everyone was together again. Or at least…almost everyone.

Riku watched as Sora and Kairi rejoiced together, as she took his hand and pulled him out of the water. He just stood there and observed, a small, sad smile tugging on his lips. Then suddenly, from not too far away, Riku spotted something that made his heart nearly stop beating. A lock of red hair blowing in the breeze.

He walked over and rubbed his eyes slightly to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Standing not ten feet away from him was a girl with red and brown hair, her violet eyes sparkling in the sun. She smiled at him, her cheeks tinting pink. Riku ran the entire way over to her and stopped right at her feet.

"Livia? Is that you? H-How…how did you…"

Livia calmly placed a hand on his chest. "My heart was here the whole time."

Riku felt a huge smile spread across his face as he lifted her off her feet and twirled her around. He set her down and ran a thumb over her cheek before softly placing a kiss on her lips. They broke apart and he rested his forehead against hers. "Please tell me this isn't a dream."

"It's not," she promised, savouring the feeling of being close to him again at last. "You're home."

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**The End**


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